October 6, 2021 (Jackson, Miss.) - Acclaimed pianist Fabio Menchetti will give a special performance at Belhaven's Preston Chamber Music Series. Originally from Italy, Menchetti has performed around the world, and will draw on his international career to bring romantic and twentieth-century music to the stage.
This free concert isThursday, October 21, 7:30 p.m. in the Center for the Arts Concert Hall. The doors open at 7 p.m. and the performance will also livestream on the Belhaven University Music Department's Facebook.
A native of Lucca, Italy, Menchetti serves as Assistant Professor of Piano at Washington State University, while maintaining an active international performance career. He concertizes in many Italian cities - Florence (Uffizi Library), Bologna (San Giacomo Festival), Lucca (Teatro del Giglio), La Spezia (Società dei Concerti), Parma (Casa della Musica), Torino (Unione Musicale) - as well as in Poland, France (Wurth Museum in Erstein) and also in Germany, where he gave a solo recital for the 2010 Liszt bicentenary celebrations in Bayreuth. He regularly performs in the US, giving recitals in several states such as Ohio (Cincinnati, Wooster) New York (National Opera Center, Houghton College, East Aurora, Eastman School of Music), New Hampshire (Dartmouth College), Florida and Kentucky (Thomas More University).
He appeared as a soloist with Lucca String Orchestra, Boccherini Music School Orchestra, Puccini Conservatory Orchestra, Colmar National Music School Symphonic Orchestra, Houghton College Philharmonia, and CCM Wind Symphony.
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Menchetti is equally passionate about standard and lesser-known repertoire. His interest in rediscovering rarely performed works has brought his attention to Italian piano music of late 19th and early 20th century (Busoni and Casella), as well as late Romantic works whose fortune was affected by social stigma and traditional harmonic language (Chaminade).
As an advocate for contemporary music, he enjoys bringing new music to life. He performed several works by Sarah Hutchings, including the world premiere of her song cycleIn Seasons of Life's Pursuitat Eastman School of Music. He also closely collaborates with English composer Peter Seabourne, recording the fourth volume of his monumental collection of solo piano pieces (Libro di Canti Italiano- Steps vol. 4), a CD published by Sheva Collection. For the same label, he also recorded a CD with violinist Ruggero Marchesi,Novecento Italiano, featuring music for violin and piano by Italian composers written between the two world wars.
With a special passion for Classical and Romantic repertoire, Menchetti, after performing all Beethoven and Brahms's sonatas for cello and piano, is embarking on a new project, the performance of Beethoven's 32 piano sonatas.