February 8, 2005 Italian Pianist To Perform on March 23
Press Contact: Audrey Fischer, 202-707-0022
Public Contact: Jane Caulton, 202 707-0521
Enrico Lisi, a pianist from Milan, Italy, will make his American debut at the Library of Congress at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, March 23, in the Coolidge Auditorium of the Thomas Jefferson Building, 10 First Street S.E., Washington, D.C. The event is free and open to the public. Tickets will be available beginning at 5 p.m. on the day of the concert from the Information Desk on the ground floor of the Thomas Jefferson Building.
In addition to presenting his renditions of works by composers such as Schubert and Chopin, Lisi will perform one of his own compositions, "Improvviso-rapsodia," a short piece composed in 1993.
The event will be sponsored jointly by the Library’s National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, the Friends of Libraries for Blind and Physically Handicapped Individuals in North America, Inc., the National Federation of the Blind and the North America/Caribbean Region of the World Blind Union.
"We are delighted that Enrico Lisi has accepted our invitation to share his music with the American public, said Frank Kurt Cylke, director of the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped. "He provides us with a unique opportunity to showcase the abilities of blind and disabled people and their contributions to international cultural life."
Lisi was born partially blind in the province of Como, Italy, 40 miles north of Milan. By age 6 he had lost all of his sight and by age 7, he had been introduced to the piano. In his third year of elementary school, he began studying under Maestro Valter Suman. Lisi entered the Giuseppe Verdi Conservatorio in Milan in his fifth year of school, studying under Maestro Alberto Mozzati through 1981, when he completed his studies. He further developed his expertise under Ludwig Hofmann in Munich, Daniel Rivera in Florence, and Bruno Canino and Alberto Colombo in Milan.
Lisi has performed in venues such as the Milan Teatro Rosetum, the Piccolo Teatro, the Palazzo dei Congressi "Fiera di Bologna," the Auditorium Comunale di Senigalia, the Teatro San Carlo di Napoli and the Teatro all’antica Sabioneta. He has received numerous awards in various competitions such as the Viotti Valesia International Competition (Varallo), the Alberto Mozzati Award at Capo d’Orlando (Messina), the Velletri (Roma) National Contest, the Carlo Fantini Contest of the Italian Union of the Blind (Turin), the Dario Formigoni Revere Award (Mantua), and the Mauro Torrefranca Contest (Vibo Valenzia).
For more information call the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (800-424-8567, selection 2), or visit the Web site at www.loc.gov/nls.
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PR 05-032
2005-02-09
ISSN 0731-3527