Aiken Times

Aiken, SC (02/06/2023) — The University of South Carolina Aiken, in association with the Aiken Civic Orchestra (ACO), presents the annual Winter Nocturne concert sponsored by Ben Cox featuring internationally recognized pianist Alexander Bernstein. The event will occur at the Etherredge Center on Thursday, February 9, at 7:00 p.m.

The concert will feature works from Beethoven, Mozart, and contemporary American composer Frederic Rzewski.

Alexander Bernstein, a San Francisco native, began piano lessons at age seven, later moving to Walla Walla, Washington, where he studied for nine years. Alexander received a Bachelor's Degree in Music from Harvard University in May 2010, where he studied privately with Patricia Zander and Stephen Drury of the New England Conservatory. Bernstein also completed a Master's Degree in Piano Performance at the Royal Irish Academy of Music in Dublin in 2012. He is currently pursuing an Artist Diploma at Shenandoah Conservatory under the tutelage of John O'Conor.

After making his symphonic debut in 1999, Alexander has performed concerti with orchestras in the U.S. and Europe, most recently including performances of Rachmaninoff's Concerto No. 3 with the RTE National Symphony Orchestra in Ireland and the Shenandoah University Symphony Orchestra in Virginia. He has given solo recitals in the US, Canada, Ireland, the UK, Germany, Italy, and Romania.

Alexander is an avid devotee of new music, studying and premiering works of living composers Berio, Ligeti, Ives, and Cage. In September 2015, he recorded a solo CD of works by the Irish composer Ryan Molloy.

Alexander has had much success in competitions, recently winning Second Prize and the RTE Lyric Fm Special Prize in the 2015 Dublin International Piano Competition, Third Prize in the 2015 Verona International Piano Competition, and Third Prize in the 2015 Gian Battista Viotti International Piano Competition. He also received First Prize in the 2011 Irish Freemasons Young Musician of the Year Competition.

ACO, led by conductor Adam DePriest, began in 2012 with the vision of providing an ensemble experience to local musicians across the greater Aiken and Central Savannah River Area. It started as a volunteer string ensemble of 12 players. After five years of building a reputation among string players, ACO added winds, brass, and percussion to become a full symphonic orchestra. In February 2018, ACO became a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization. With an emphasis on featuring local talent, ACO performs about ten programs per season with music ranging from popular to masterpieces and even contemporary works, covering a dynamic range of composers.

Adam DePriest is a conductor and violinist from Aiken, SC, with a bachelor's and two master's degrees in music from the University of South Carolina. He studied violin under William Terwilliger and Neil Casey and studied conducting under Donald Portnoy. Mr. DePriest has received additional conducting training from Grant Cooper, Peter Jaffe, Jorge Mester, and Neil Thompson.

Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased at usca.edu/etherredge-center or by calling 803-641-3305. General admission is $25; students are admitted at no cost.

Original source can be found here.