1998 Bachauer Gold Medalist Lori Sims returns with a program celebrating the remarkable colors and harmonies of French piano music. Featuring Debussy's imaginative Préludes, Messiaen's luminous Le baiser de l'Enfant-Jésus, and Dutilleux's dramatic Piano Sonata, this concert explores three distinctive musical worlds.
Since winning the Gold Medal at the 1998 Gina Bachauer International Piano Competition, Lori Sims has established herself as a distinguished pianist and educator. Also a winner of the 1993 American Pianists Association competition, she has performed across North and South America, Europe, and Asia, appearing with the Israel Philharmonic, NDR Radiophilharmonie, and numerous American orchestras.
An accomplished recitalist and chamber musician, Sims made her New York recital debut at Alice Tully Hall to critical praise from The New York Times. She has since performed at Merkin Hall, Carnegie Hall's Zankel Hall, and the Gilmore International Piano Festival, where she has appeared seven times. Her discography includes three Naxos albums and a recording of Bach's Goldberg Variations.
Sims is Professor of Piano at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. Previously, she taught for 29 years at Western Michigan University, where she held the titles of John T. Bernhard Professor of Music and Distinguished Professor. She studied at Peabody, Yale, and the Hochschule für Musik, Theater und Medien Hannover.
CLAUDE DEBUSSY
Préludes, Book I
OLIVER MESSIAEN
Le baiser de L'Enfant-Jésus
(The Kiss of the Infant Jesus)
HENRI DUTILLEUX
Sonata, op. 1
