Opening 2015-16 Wassermann Festival Event Features International Artist

To say that Utah State University Wassermann Festival Director Dennis Hirst is excited about the 2015-16 opening artist is an understatement. He can cite reviews from around the globe, but especially likes one that appeared in the New York Times by Richard Morrison.

“If you buy only one record of harpsichord music in your life — and that’s a decision I would have some sympathy with — buy this sensational album (“Time Present and Time Past,” Deutsche Grammophon),” Morrison wrote. “The 30-year-old Iranian-American Mahan Esfahani has been making waves among connoisseurs for several years. Now he emerges as a superstar whose musicianship, imagination, virtuosity, cultural breadth and charisma far transcends the ivory tower in which the harpsichord has traditionally been placed.”

In Hirst’s own words, “He is freaking amazing.”

The Wassermann Festival gets underway with Esfahani’s performance Tuesday, Nov. 17, at USU’s Caine Performance Hall on the Logan campus. Concert time is 7:30 p.m.

The evening’s program is entirely dedicated to J.S. Bach’s The Goldberg Variations.

Reserved seating tickets are $24 for adults, $20 for USU faculty and staff and students ages 8 and older can purchase a $12 ticket. Tickets can be purchased at the Caine College of the Arts Box Office located in room L101 in the Chase Fine Arts center or online via a link on the Wassermann website (http://www.usu.edu/wassermann/). More information on the artists is also available at the Wassermann website.

Esfahani was born in Tehran in 1984 and emigrated at a young age to the United States, growing up in Washington, D.C. He was guided in his piano studies by his father before exploring and interest in the harpsichord as a teenager. He went on to study musicology and history at Stanford University where he was mentored by George Houle before studying intensively with Peter Watchorn in Boston and finally with Zuzana Ruzickova in Prague. He was a BBC New Generation Artist from 2008-10, a Borletti-Buitoni Trust prizewinner and in 2014 he was on the shortlist both for the Royal Philharmonic Society Instrumentalist of the Year and Gramophone Artist of the Year — all firsts for a harpsichord. He was again nominated for Gramophone Artist of the Year 2015 and also in the Instrumental and Baroque Instrumental categories.

According to his biography, since making his London debut in 2009, Esfahani has worked tirelessly to establish the harpsichord in the mainstream of concert instruments in classical and contemporary repertoire. His mission came to significant public attention when he played the first harpsichord recital in the history of the BBC Proms in 2011. From there, his international concert schedule has exploded.

“When I first heard Mahan play I thought ‘wow,’” Hirst said. “When I heard him again, I said we’ve got to bring him to Logan. His harpsichord concert will be a first for the Wassermann Festival.”

The concert also made highlights Utah State University’s beautiful new harpsichord,” Hirst said. “This wonderful instrument was donated to our program in March.”

“The Goldberg Variations is one of the premiere variation sets ever written — a masterwork of Baroque style,” Hirst said. “The opportunity to hear the work performed live in a world-class performance hall by an international superstar on an instrument for which the piece was originally written is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”

Following the performance, Esfahani will engage in a question and answer session with the audience.

For information on the concert or any of the Wassermann Festival events, contact Hirst at dennis.hirst@usu.edu.

Related links:

• Caine College of the Arts Box Office
• Caine College of the Arts Production Services
• USU Department of Music
• USU Caine College of the Arts
• USU Wassermann Festival

Contact: Dennis Hirst, (435) 797-3257, dennis.hirst@usu.edu

Writer: Patrick Williams, (435) 797-1354, patrick.williams@usu.edu