Piano Showcase is June 4-9

The winner of the Palm Beach Invitational International Piano Competition will open Mississippi State's 16th annual Mississippi Piano Showcase.

Sponsored by the Music Education Department, the June 4-9 public programs will take place in the McComas Hall theater.

Andrew Russo, a 23-year-old Juilliard School graduate now studying in Paris, will be featured in an opening gala on the 4th. Tickets for his 4 p.m. performance are $10 and may be purchased at the door. A reception will follow.

Described as "a reincarnated Liszt" and "keyboard magician," Russo debuted at age 13 with the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra. A winner of the Music Teachers National Association Yamaha Auditions, he has had major appearances in New York, Leipzig, Tokyo, and Calgary.

"Russo will play a varied repertoire, including pieces that will be familiar to high school student pianists," said music education professor Joel Harrison, event coordinator.

Russo is among three guest artists and several MSU faculty members presenting concerts during the week of teaching and performance activities. Both performing at 7:30 p.m. programs on the 6th and 8th, the other guest artists include:

• Tony Caramia of the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, N.Y. Associate professor and director of piano pedagogy studies, he is a classical, jazz and ragtime pianist who has released four recordings: "Zebra Stripes," "Nimble Fingered Gentleman," "Brass Knuckles," and "Tony Caramia, Live!"
• Emilio del Rosario of the Music Institute of Chicago. He has performed at Carnegie Hall and the United Nations in New York, as well as at the National Gallery in Washington, D.C. He also has performed with symphony orchestras in Manila, Baltimore and Chicago.

Tickets for the Caramia and del Rosario concerts are $8 each.

In addition to Harrison, MSU faculty members Jackie Edwards-Henry and Dylan Savage will be featured in concerts, lectures and private lessons during the showcase.

Tickets for the entire showcase concert series are $25. For more information, telephone 325-3070.