Internationally Acclaimed Pianist Awadagin Pratt to Perform Recital in Moore Hall

Internationally acclaimed pianist Awadagin Pratt will perform a free piano recital at UNC Pembroke on Oct. 29 at 7:30 p.m. in Moore Hall Auditorium.

The performance is open to UNCP students, faculty, staff and the public.

Pratt has established an extraordinary career as a pianist, conductor and educator. He enrolled at the Peabody Institute in Baltimore at age 16. He became the first student in the school’s history to receive diplomas in three different performance areas: piano, violin and conducting.

While at Peabody, Pratt won the Naumburg International Piano Competition, launching an international performing career that has included appearances with major orchestras such as the New York Philharmonic, the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. He has released recordings on Angel/EMI, appeared on The Today Show, Good Morning America, and Sesame Street and performed at the White House on three occasions. He has been the subject of articles in Newsweek and People Magazine.

He was also featured as a piano soloist on a 2024 Grammy-winning recording.

Dr. Mark Tollefsen, associate professor of piano and coordinator of keyboard studies in the music department, organized Pratt’s visit. Tollefsen studied at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, where Pratt was a professor, and performed for him during juries and recitals.

“I reached out to him and asked if he would be willing to come here and perform,” Tollefsen said. “He’s coming all the way from California, and before performing in the Duke Arts Series, graciously decided to come here, too.”

His appearance offers students and community members the opportunity to experience the musicianship of an artist who has performed on some of the nation’s most prestigious stages.

Tollefsen said he hopes Pratt’s performance will inspire students to consider what is possible in their own musical careers.

“Hopefully they will read his bio, hear him play and be inspired by what he has accomplished,” Tollefsen said.

The recital will feature a program celebrating the history of American music.

For students, the opportunity to hear a world-class musician perform live also offers a lesson that cannot be fully captured through recordings or online performances.

“With a live performance, you might hear the pianist breathing along with the phrasing or singing along,” Tollefsen said. “You can understand it is someone performing on stage in real time.”

Tollefsen encourages members of the surrounding community to take advantage of the free performance.

“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime chance to see a world-famous artist in their backyard,” he said. “North Carolina has a lot of great music, but often you must drive for it. At UNCP we have a lot of great music. But this will be a particularly big performance.”

Pratt’s appearance also continues UNCP’s tradition of bringing accomplished musicians to campus. During Tollefsen’s nine-year tenure, the music department has hosted numerous guest pianists, including Connor Chee and Mikael Darmanie, both of whom studied under Pratt at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music.

“This is a great way to expose our students and the community to top-notch musicianship,” Tollefsen said. “To see someone in the classical music world who has done it all.”

For more information, contact the music department at 910.521.6882.