Bulgarian pianist Antonov will present two recitals

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

Bulgarian-born pianist Avguste Antonov will return to Youngstown for two recitals and a lecture at Youngstown State University.

All three appearances, which are free, are sponsored the New Music Guild and the YSU New Music Society.

Antonov’s main concert will be at 4 p.m. Sunday at Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic Church, 421 Covington St.

The concert will feature music from Antonov’s new CD (Hartshorn Recordings).

Youngstown composers’ works make up the majority of the recording.

A CD release party and reception will follow in the church hall.

Antonov will also give a recital at 12:15 p.m. Sept. 3 at the Butler Institute of American Art, 524 Wick Ave., that will also feature works by living American composers.

Featured will be works by Cleveland composer/conductor Matthew Saunders, University of Colorado composer/pianist Carter Pann, Arizona composer Sy Brandon, and University of Michigan composer/pianist William Bolcom.

Antonov will give a lecture at the Dana School of Music piano seminar at YSU at 2 p.m. Friday.

Caroline Oltmanns, chair of the piano department, will host.

Antonov moved to Paris as a child, and immigrated to the United States to study at the University of Kansas. He now lives in Dallas and specializes in the performance of works by living composers.

He has performed all over the country.

“Blue Fantasy,” an original composition by Robert Rollin, professor emeritus of music composition and former chair of the Dana composition area, is on Antonov’s new album. The composition stems from a long line of Romantic character pieces, but adds an American blues element combined with a contemporary harmonic flavor.

Also on the disc are NMG member Richard Zacharias’ “Romance for Piano” solo, and undergraduate composer and NMS president Samantha Hogan’s “Cumulus Humilis” for piano solo, a piece inspired by cloud formations.