SHEPHERDSTOWN, W.Va - Pianist Brian Ganz will conclude the Guest Artist Series at Shepherd University by playing the "Stradivarius of pianos" today at The Frank Arts Center Theater.
The series, which opened in September, is hosted by Friends of Music, the music department's nonprofit fundraising arm.
To make the final show of the 2006-07 series special, Ganz will be performing on the music department's Fazioli piano, said Mark McCoy, chairman of the music department. McCoy compared a Fazioli piano to an Antonio Stradivarius-produced violin - one of the best instruments of its type ever made.
Fazioli pianos are handcrafted in a factory about 35 miles northeast of Venice, according to the manufacturer's Web site (www.fazioli.com). Its construction and the kind of timber used is what gives the piano its unique sound, McCoy said.
"I came across one and I played it and I couldn't believe the richness of its sound," he said.
