March 2, 2009

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Department of Music presents pianist Tian Ying, in the final performance of the UAB Piano Series, at 4 p.m. Sunday, March 22, in the Alys Stephens Center's Reynolds-Kirschbaum Recital Hall, 1200 10th Ave. S., Birmingham. Tickets are $15 for adults; $5 for students. Call 205-975-2787.

Born in Shanghai, Tian Ying made his first public appearance with the Shanghai Symphony at age l0. His training in the United States included studies at Interlochen Arts Academy and the New England Conservatory of Music, where as a Charlotte F. Rabb Presidential Scholar he studied with Russell Sherman. He has since conducted numerous master classes in universities and colleges, and has performed recitals on three continents.

Ying is well known for his eloquent, poetic, dramatically intense performances. Winner of many awards, he was honored at the Eighth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in 1989, where his performance drew widespread enthusiasm from both concert audiences and critics. Of his performances there, The Philadelphia Inquirer wrote, "Mr. Ying's exquisite exploration of piano sonorities produced some of the most beautiful playing at the Competition."

With his reputation for unusually searching and profound interpretations played with virtuoso accomplishment, Ying is distinguished among the most accomplished artists of his generation. Ying is chairman of keyboard performance at the University of Miami.

On the program for his UAB Piano Series performance: Nocturne Op. 62 No. 1, Nocturne Op. 48 No. 1, Barcarolle Op. 60, Trio Mazurkas Op. 59, Fantasy in F Minor, Op. 49 and Polonaise in A-flat Major, Op. 53, all by Chopin; and Mussorgsky's "Pictures at an Exhibition."