LEWISBURG, W.Va. (WVDN) – Carnegie Hall’s Classics Series is a three-concert series hosted by Steinway “Legend” and Lewisburg resident Barbara Nissman, designed to introduce classical music and Carnegie Hall to new audiences, as well as inspire and entertain current classical music enthusiasts.
The first concert, “A Valentine Concert — More Music to Love!” on Feb. 11 was performed to a packed house in the Hamilton Auditorium. The Series continues with “Gershwin Meets Brahms!” on Saturday, March 18, at 7:30 p.m.
The concert will feature Nissman, who will be joined by her friends from the Montclaire String Quartet. The program opens with Gershwin’s beautiful “Lullaby” for string quartet and continues with Nissman at the piano introducing some of her favorite pieces by Brahms, concluding with a rousing performance of the Brahms Piano Quintet performed by Nissman and the Montclaire.
The Montclaire String Quartet is celebrating over 30 seasons as West Virginia’s premier string quartet. The quartet has previously served as artists-in-residence at West Virginia State University and the West Virginia Symphony. Prizewinners of the Evian and Banff International String Quartet Competitions among others, they currently are artists-in-residence with the Kanawha County School system and the West Virginia Symphony Regional-Outreach program.
Nissman is an internationally renowned concert pianist and since 1989 has been a West Virginian “by choice,” residing on a farm in Greenbrier County. Hailed as “one of the last pianists in the grand Romantic tradition of Liszt, Rachmaninoff and Rubinstein,” Nissman has performed as soloist with some of the world’s leading orchestras and has worked with some of the major conductors of our time.
Inducted into the inaugural class of Steinway Legends, chosen from more than a century of Steinway Artists, Nissman is regarded as one of the world’s great concert pianists. With a mission to bring her passion and joy to audiences around the world, Nissman continues to inspire and uplift people through her music.
In 2014 she formed her own record label, Three Oranges Recordings (http://threeorangesrecordings.com), that now includes a discography of over 30 recordings with many more projected for the future. In 2017 the Three Oranges Foundation was established to further its mission of making classical music accessible to a wider audience and to promote Nissman’s various educational projects including a series of educational video master classes.
Nissman is a performer, recording artist, writer, lecturer, producer, filmmaker and frequent guest artist/clinician and holds the Governor’s Distinguished Service to the Arts Award from the state of West Virginia along with the Lifetime Achievement in the Arts award. In June 2023 she will be inducted into the West Virginia Music Hall of Fame.
For more information on Barbara Nissman, visit www.barbaranissman.com.
Carnegie Classics Series’ final concert of spring 2023 will be “Schubert Goes Fishing!” on Saturday, May 13.
Adults over 50 years of age have the option of purchasing two tickets to an individual performance for the price of one. Students 18 years of age and younger receive free admission.
