World-renowned concert pianist Peter Serkin will offer a solo recital at the State University of New York at Fredonia on Saturday, Oct. 30 at 8 p.m. as part of the public unveiling of the School of Music's new multimillion-dollar recital hall.
 
Ticket packages for the Peter Serkin solo recital, including dinner, reception and overnight options, are now available. A portion of the proceeds from the concert will be used to fund scholarship programs within the Fredonia School of Music.
 
"The opening of the recital hall is a major event," said Dr. Karl Boelter, director of the Fredonia School of Music. "The recital hall is the kind of performance facility that has been needed, desired and anticipated for more than 15 years. The size, the quality, the beauty and the acoustics of the hall will be meaningful for the campus, the community and especially for the students who are preparing for their professional careers. There is no better way to honor the significance of this new hall than to open it with the one of the finest performing artists living today."
 
The new School of Music recital hall is the centerpiece of an $8 million renovation project at Mason Hall that began in November 2001. The recital hall will have a seating capacity of 503 and will accommodate performances by soloists, chamber groups and ensembles of 30 or more. Other building improvements include additional classroom space, labs and practice rooms, new offices and studios and a Sound Recording Technology suite.
 
The Serkin concert is the first event in the inaugural Musical Arts Series, an annual program to be sponsored by the School of Music. Called "one of the supreme musicians of our time" by New York Magazine, Peter Serkin is the son of famed pianist Rudolph Serkin and grandson of violinist Adolph Busch. He earned his own reputation in the music world through unmatched passion, integrity and devotion to his craft. A recent Washington Post review declared that Mr. Serkin is "a great pianist at the top of his powers."
 
Mr. Serkin has shared the stage with the finest symphony orchestras in the world and has collaborated with such notable musical artists as Yo-Yo Ma, Pamela Frank, Alexander Schneider and the Guarneri String Quartet. His performances with symphony orchestras, recital appearances, chamber music collaborations and recordings are respected worldwide, and his work has been recognized with such prestigious awards as the Deutsche Schallplatten Prize and the Stereo Review "Best Recording of the Year." Mr. Serkin received an honorary doctoral degree from the New England Conservatory of Music in May 2001 and was the first pianist to earn the Premio Internazionale Musicale Chigiana. He has been nominated for numerous Grammy awards.
 
For more information, please contact the Fredonia School of Music at (716) 673-3686 or check the Web at www.fredonia.edu/som.