An internationally acclaimed pianist will soon be tickling ivory in Vernon.
Charles Richard-Hamelin will perform at the Vernon and District Performing Arts Centre on Saturday, Feb. 29, treating guests to classic Chopin, Beethoven and more.
Originally from Québec, Richard-Hamelin was the silver medalist and laureate of the Krystian Zimerman award for best sonata at the International Chopin Piano Competition in 2015. He also won the second prize at the Montréal International Musical Competition and the third prize and special award for best performance of a Beethoven sonata at the Seoul International Music Competition in South Korea.
More recently, Richard-Hamelin was awarded the Order of Arts and Letters of Québec and the prestigious Career Development Award offered by the Women’s Musical Club of Toronto.
A graduate from McGill University, the Yale School of Music, the Conservatoire de Musique de Montréal, Richard-Hamelin played more than 75 concerts in Canada, Asia, Europe and the U.S. in his 2018-19 season. His 2018 Beethoven sonata and 2019 Chopin concerto recordings earned awards from the Québec Association for Recording, Concert and Video Industries.
Having turned 30 last July, Richard-Hamelin is young for a star pianist. He has a deep understanding of Chopin’s Ballades and Impromptus, having played them all over the world.
Opening the Vernon performance is pianist Noah Wessels, a 17-year-old Grade 11 student at Vernon Christian School. Wessels started playing piano in late 2015, and also plays second violin for the Okanagan Symphony Youth Orchestra.
The show starts at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $40 for adults and $20 for youth and are available through Ticketseller.ca.
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