Gualala Arts Chamber Music Series presents: Frank Wiens, piano at the Gualala Arts Center Sunday, November 12, 2006 at 4:00 p.m.

"Musical Strength...commanding manner...grandeur and power" - London Times

The Gualala Arts Chamber Music Series will present the technically brilliant and exciting pianist Frank Wiens in a recital on Sunday, November 12, at 4:00 p.m. at the Gualala Arts Center. This will be a much-anticipated return visit; previous performances by Mr. Wiens in 2002 and 2004 were met with well-deserved standing ovations.

This recital will be special, an all-Chopin concert, including three Mazurkas, three Etudes, two Impromptus, the Barcarolle, the Ballade in G Minor, the Nocturne in D-Flat Major, the Scherzo in C-Sharp Minor, and the Polonaise-Fantasie, all providing a very enjoyable program.

In his extensive concertizing throughout the United States and abroad, including recitals in New York, London, South Korea, and Europe, Frank Wiens' performances have been greeted with high critical acclaim. In 1991 he was invited to tour the Soviet Union as featured soloist in concerts celebrating the 100th anniversary of the birth of Serge Prokofiev. Of one such performance, the Yaroslavl, USSR, wrote,

"Technical brilliance, a clarity of color, richness of imagery, a nobility of artistic manner...Frank Wiens is a brilliant representative of the American school of piano technique."

A native of New Haven, Connecticut, Mr. Wiens studied at the University of Michigan School of Music, where he was the recipient of the Stanley medal, the school's highest honor for musical excellence. From there he went on to win major awards in prestigious competitions: North American Young Artists Competition, Southwest Pianists Foundation Competition, and Three Rivers Piano Competition. Since 1974 he has given annual concert tours across the U.S. His performances have been broadcast on National Public Radio and Public Television, and he has been a touring artist with the Iowa Arts Council and the California Arts Council. He has served on the piano faculty of Drake University, and since 1976 he has held the position of Professor of Piano at the University of the Pacific in Stockton. In l997 he was honored with that university's Distinguished Faculty Award, and in 2000 with its Faculty Research-Lecturer Award.

The week after the Gualala concert, Mr. Wiens will travel to Romania, where he will perform with the Orchestra Dinu Lipatti, after which he will go to Poland for a series of recitals featuring the music of Frederic Chopin.

Admission is $20. Children and young people ages 7 through 17 are admitted free. Advance tickets are available at the Gualala Arts Center or at the Dolphin Gallery in Gualala. If not sold out, tickets may also be purchased at the door prior to the performance. For further information, call the Gualala Arts Center at 707-884-1138, or visit the website, GualalaArts.org. Those unable to furnish their own transportation may call the Arts Center to request rides to the concerts.