Celebrated Jamaican Pianist to Appear at UB in Connections with Juneteenth Festival

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- World-renowned Jamaican pianist Paul Shaw will present a concert featuring classical compositions by African-American composers at 7 p.m. June 17 in Slee Concert Hall on the North Campus.

Shaw's concert will be preceded at 5:30 p.m. by a reception in the Center for the Arts hosted by Kerry Grant, dean of the UB College of Arts and Sciences. Both events, which will be free and open to the public, are among the principal public events in Buffalo's 1999 Juneteenth Festival, which will be held at various venues from June 15-20.

The concert will be sponsored by the UB Office of Public Service and Urban Affairs, the UB College of Arts and Sciences, the Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society and the Buffalo Juneteenth Festival, Inc.

Shaw will perform In the Bottoms (Characteristic Suite) by Robert Nathaniel Dett (1882-1943); Variations on a Theme by E. Clement Bethel by Cleophas R. E. Adderley (b. 1955); Jamaican Dances by Oswald Russell; Come Sunday (from "Black, Brown and Beige") by Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (1899-1974), and Yamekraw: Rhapsody in Black and White by James P. Johnson (1891-1955).

In connection with his visit to Buffalo, Shaw will present a master class at 10 a.m. June 18 in Baird Recital Hall, 250 Baird Hall on the UB North Campus. The public is invited to attend.

During the class, Shaw will offer a critique of performances by UB music students of work by Beethoven, Prokofieff, Schumann, Gottschalk, Liszt and Nathaniel Dett. It will be sponsored by The Piano Festival directed by Frina Arschanska Boldt, UB associate professor of music.

Shaw has been recognized for his virtuosity, expressive delivery, versatility, technical command, a compelling use of color and the qualities of sensitivity and introspection. He has performed as a soloist with major orchestras in Asia, Europe and America in such distinguished venues as Lincoln Center, The Kennedy Center, Beethovenhalle, the Hall of the Americas and the Marlboro Music Festival.

A graduate of The Juilliard School, from which he holds a doctorate in musical arts, Shaw has received top prizes at the William Kapell International Piano Composition and the Young Concert Artists International Auditions. His CDs include "Live from New York, it's Paul Shaw!" for Musika Records and "Yamekraw," James P. Johnson's strident classical work for piano and orchestra on the Collins Classics label.

He is a leading exponent of Caribbean piano music and is exploring his musical heritage with an eye to multi-disc recording. In his efforts to attract young orchestras and nurture new classical talent, he often performs an innovative multi-media piano recital program and has in development a showcase for young pianists that he will produce and host on cable television.

For additional information on the master class call Peggy Brooks-Bertram at (716) 645-2097. Information on the concert or on other events scheduled for the Juneteenth Festival may be found at http://wings.buffalo.edu/psua/events/juneteen/index.htm.