Byron Janis invited by Hofstra to Celebrate 200th Anniversary of Chopin’s Birth
New York, New York - October 20, 2010 - As part of Hofstra University’s 75th anniversary, Byron Janis has been invited by the Hofstra Cultural Center as a Joseph G. Astman Scholar to give a special performance on October 24th at 2PM on the 200th anniversary of Frederic Chopin’s birth.
Unforgettable music, stirring video and memorable words provide the backdrop as internationally acclaimed pianist, Byron Janis, takes us on a special journey exploring the world of Frederic Chopin and performing a selection of his pieces.
This performance is part of a continuing series of events as Byron is the subject of a new Peter Rosen documentary airing on 70+ PBS stations nationwide, The Byron Janis Story beginning in October, National Disabilities Month, “dedicated to all those who have overcome adversity.” A DVD of this is available on Amazon for $19.99. In conjunction with this program, Byron has released a CD that includes remastered pieces, never before released recordings and two recordings from the 1960 cultural exchange he never knew existed.
As one of the world’s greatest concert pianists, he reveals how the “other world” transformed his life and career. Now for the first time, Janis retraces this remarkable journey in CHOPIN AND BEYOND: My Extraordinary Life in Music and the Paranormal (Wiley, ISBN: 978-0-470-60444-1; December 2010; $26.95 / Cloth). He shares something even more extraordinary; the otherworldly experiences that have shaped his life and music in surprising and profound ways.
In CHOPIN AND BEYOND, Janis includes lively anecdotes of famous performing artists and notable outstanding figures from Vladimir Horowitz to Greta Garbo and Pablo Picasso. He recounts the paranormal experiences that deepened so many of his personal and musical associations, amongst them Chopin; how they seem to affect his miraculous survival under potentially life threatening circumstances, and much more.
Like the best music, CHOPIN AND BEYOND will open your mind to explore the wonder and possibilities of a different world.
Byron Janis is a living legend of the classical music world that went from child piano prodigy at 4, overcoming a rigid and numbed finger due to an accident at the age of 11, becoming the first student of Vladimir Horowitz at 16, debuting at Carnegie Hall at 20. Today he gives lectures and performances, along with teaching master classes and composing, and writes regularly for the Wall Street Journal. His wife Maria Cooper Janis, the daughter of actor Gary Cooper, is a talented painter, a researcher in parapsychology and has collaborated on three television specials. They live in New York City.
Admission is free, but a ticket is required. Tickets must be obtained through the John Cranford Adams Playhouse Box Office, South Campus (two tickets per order).
NOTE: For press information and to schedule interviews, limited public appearances and engagements, please contact Bettina L. Klinger, President, KlingerVision, (212) 592-1385 or email bklinger@klingervision.com