February 21, 2011

Pianist Andre Watts to step in for Nelson Freire at SHCS

Due to a flare-up of tendonitis and on the advice of his doctors, pianist Nelson Freire has had to cancel his North American recital tour in March. In Baltimore, the incomparable pianist Andre Watts will step in for a Shriver Hall Concert Series debut in a recital of works by Franz Liszt at 5:30 p.m. on Sunday, March 6, in Homewood’s Shriver Hall. Tickets are $38, $19 for students.

Watts burst upon the music world at the age of 16, when Leonard Bernstein chose him to make his debut with the New York Philharmonic in its Young People’s Concerts, broadcast nationwide on CBS-TV. Two weeks later, Bernstein asked Watts to substitute for the ailing Glenn Gould with the Philharmonic, thus launching his career in storybook fashion. More than 45 years later, he remains one of today’s most celebrated pianists.