Pianist to discuss and perform Beethoven classics at Centre RELEASED: Mar. 26, 2001 DANVILLE, KY -Pianist Gregory Partain will give a lecture and piano performance at Centre College entitled, "Beethoven's Late Piano Works: Individualism and the Spiritual Quest." This free convocation will take place April 3 at 8 p.m. in Weisiger Theatre on the Centre College campus. Partain will discuss Beethoven's music in a cultural context, with visual images and a guided tour of the composer's inspiring Sonata No. 31 in A-flat, Op. 110. Beethoven once said, "I am never alone when I am alone." Due to his deafness, Ludwig van Beethoven worked slowly and in acute isolation during the final decade of his life. The masterpieces he produced at this time offer listeners a unique opportunity to explore the psychological world of a genius. Gregory Partain, Associate Professor of Music at Transylvania University, has recently returned from a concert tour to Boston, Cincinnati, Louisville, and Columbus. Previously he has toured Poland, Guatemala, and Costa Rica and performed as recitalist, chamber musician, or concerto soloist in most regions of the United States. He was the national winner of the 1986 KMS Resident Artist Competition in Seattle, which led to concert engagements throughout the Pacific Northwest. In 1993, he won first prize in the Memphis Beethoven Club Piano Competition, second prize in the International Bartok-Kabalevsky Competition in Radford, Virginia, and was a finalist in the Concert Artists Guild New York Competition. Partain received a bachelor's degree in piano performance at The University of Washington and master's and doctoral degrees from The University of Texas at Austin. - end -     Communications Office Centre College 600 W. Walnut Street Danville, KY 40422 Public Information Coordinator: Telephone 859-238-5714 News and Events Home Page