Stillman will host its annual Zelpha Wells Piano Competition for Collegiate Artists April 15-16. The event pays homage to one of Tuscaloosa's most distinguished citizens, music educators, and humanitarians.
A graduate of Talladega College, where she majored in piano and minored in organ and public school music, Zelpha Wells received certificates in music from Peabody College and Fisk University. She also has been featured in Time magazine and on The Oprah Winfrey Show. A member of the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame, Wells has taught music for more than 50 years and is internationally known as a pianist and purveyor of music.
Semi-finals will begin Friday, April 15, in the Wynn Humanities and Fine Arts Center. The final round of competition will be held Saturday, April 16. Recitals, which are free and open to the public, will be held each evening beginning at 7 p.m.
Pianist Anthony Pattin, will serve as special guest to the recital Friday evening. Pattin gave his New York debut concert at Carnegie Hall's Weill Recital Hall in the spring of 1998. In a review of that concert, the critic for the New York Concert Review called Pattin, "a pianist of definite skills and strength."
Dr. Pattin has performed concerts throughout the United States, as well as on tour in Central America. Performing on the Dame Myra Hess Concert Series in Chicago, one critic said this pianist demonstrated a "surety of playing...a beauty of phrasing...and an inner confidence." Said of his most recent New York recital, "Dr. Pattin is a solid presence onstage, confident and gracious. His music making speaks of great involvement and erudition. With the ear and ability to vary tone color with constancy, his palette is a good one." (Darrell Rosenbluth, New York Concert Review).
Anthony Philip Pattin's intense enthusiasm for music and the piano began at an early age in his hometown of Toledo, Ohio, where he received his first piano lessons. In high school, when he was singled out to perform as a concerto soloist, his career was decided. He subsequently earned the Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Toledo, and the Master of Music degree from the University of Michigan, where he was a student of Theodore Lettvin and winner of the annual Concerto Competition. He received the Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Alabama in 1994. While a student at UA, he studied with Amanda Penick and performed with the University Orchestra as the Concerto-Aria Competition winner. He has performed with the Alabama Symphony, Tuscaloosa Symphony, Toledo Symphony, Detroit Symphony, Arkansas Symphony and most recently with the Abilene Philharmonic Orchestra. He has performed three solo piano recitals; one in New York City, one in Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall (1998/2006) and the last in Merkin Concert Hall at Lincoln Center (2002).
His competition experience includes being a first-prize winner in the Bartok-Kabalevsky International Piano Competition, The Irene Tintner National Competition, The Grossepointe Symphony Competition and the Saint-Mary's College Graduate Artist Competition. He has also recently served as judge for the annual DeBose National Piano Competition and Festival in Baton Rouge, the Gladys Norris Perry Competition held in Jackson, Miss., the Bartok-Kabalevsky International Piano Competition held in Radford, Va., and the Montgomery Symphony Orchestra's Annual Concerto Competition. He has also judged many AMTA, BMTA and AFMC local competitions.
In addition to his concert career, Dr. Pattin is Professor of Music at the University of Montevallo, where he received the 2001-2002 Distinguished Teacher Award for the College of Fine Arts. He was also named the University of Montevallo University Scholar for 2002-2003. A versatile musician, he is also a skilled improviser, organist, composer and arranger. He has recorded six CDs: "With a Touch of Class," "Live from New York," "Recital Highlights," "Tidings of Comfort and Joy," "Trip Down Memory Lane" and "Pianist with a Romantic Touch."
On April 16, a recital by the competition winner will be held at 7 p.m. in the Wynn Center Presentation Room. This performance is free and open to the public. A reception in the atrium will follow.
About the Zelpha Wells Piano Competition
The Zelpha Wells Piano Competition pays homage to one of Tuscaloosa's most distinguished citizens, music educators, and humanitarians. A graduate of Talladega College, where she majored in piano and minored in organ and public school music, Zelpha Wells received certificates in music from Peabody College and Fisk University. She also has been featured in Time magazine and on The Oprah Winfrey Show. A member of the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame, Wells has taught music for more than 50 years and is internationally known as a pianist and purveyor of music.
Posted By: Reginald Culpepper
Tuesday, March 1st 2011 at 4:29PM
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