NEWS

New UNC pianist, music faculty member, to perform Debussy, Rachmaninov Oct. 6

CHAPEL HILL -- The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill music department will celebrate two new assets on Oct. 6: first, the debut recital of Thomas Otten, new to the department faculty; second, the department's new Steinway grand piano, on which he will perform.

The concert, at 3 p.m. in Hill Hall Auditorium, will feature Debussy's Preludes, Book I, and Rachmaninov's Sonata No. 2, Opus 36. Tickets are $15, or $12 for seniors and $5 for students in 105 Hill (962-1039) or the Carolina Union box office (962-1449). Free parking will be available for concert-goers in the Swain lot off Cameron Avenue, behind Hill Hall.

Otten joins UNC's piano faculty as an associate professor, having held similar posts at Kent State and California State universities. He has given recitals and performed as an orchestral soloist in the Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall and music festivals across America and in Germany.

"Otten is one of America's most distinguished pianist-educators," said David Arons, series coordinator. "He has received many national and international awards, as a performer, clinician and master-class educator."

The concert is the second in this year's William S. Newman Artists Series, which honors the late Newman, a pianist and distinguished music professor at UNC from 1945-77.

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Contact: David Arons, 384-2720