Awadagin Pratt (Katharyn Havens)
The Morning Call
October
09, 2013
By Steve Siegel, Special to The Morning Call
If one measure of success in classical music is media recognition, then pianist Awadagin Pratt truly is a superstar. Of course, it helps that Pratt doesn't fit the stereotypical image of a classical musician, with his colorful striped shirts, full beard and trademark dreadlocks.
Unconventional is the term often used to describe the 47-year-old Pittsburgh native. Time magazine described his playing as "classical artistry in an unconventional key." People magazine called him "classical but not conventional." Newsweek threw up its hands and simply stated "In every way, Awadagin Pratt defies stereotype.
On Saturday and Sunday, Pratt joins the Allentown Symphony Orchestra in the opening concerts of its fall season as featured soloist in Grieg's piano concerto. Also on the program is "Revelry," by the contemporary American composer Lowell Liebermann, and Symphony No. 2 by Sibelius.
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