POTSDAM - SUNY Potsdam, in collaboration with Clarkson University, is pleased to present acclaimed violinist Adrian Anantawan in an upcoming performance. Adrian Anantawan will perform at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 23 in the Helen M. Hosmer Concert Hall at SUNY Potsdam’s Crane School of Music.

Born of Thai-Chinese ethnicity, Adrian Anantawan began playing the violin at nine, and has since established himself as a rising star in classical music. In 2001, he was accepted into the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia with a merit-based full scholarship, and went on to earn a master’s degree from Yale University.

Anantawan has performed extensively in Canada as a soloist with the Orchestras of Toronto, Nova Scotia, Winnipeg, Saskatoon, Montreal, Edmonton and Vancouver. He has also presented feature recitals at the White House, the Aspen Music Festival and Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall.

Anantawan is a key proponent of the disabled arts, as he was born without a right hand. He is a national spokesperson for the War Amps of Canada and the Holland Bloorview Kids Rehab Center. Active within Canadian media, his documentary “Adrian Anantawan: The Story Behind the Notes” is currently being broadcast across the country by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC).

Itzhak Perlman, one of the most well-known and regarded violinists of our time, said, “He is a very sensitive player, and while he has a disadvantage when he plays, he really isn’t having any; he just goes for it.”

He also impressed Pinchas Zukerman of the National Arts Centre Orchestra, who said, “I was absolutely bewildered... That’s not a handicap, it’s an achievement. There is no boundary of what he can achieve.”

Anantawan will be accompanied by pianist Amy Yang during his Potsdam performance. The program will include Bach’s Sonata for Violin and Clavier in C-Minor (BWV 1017), Willan’s Sonata No. 1 for Violin and Piano in E-Minor, Ravel’s Sonata for Violin and Piano in G-Major, and Brahms’ Sonata No. 3 for Violin and Piano, Op. 108.

In addition to the piano performance on Saturday evening, Anantawan will speak about prosthetic development at Clarkson University at 4 p.m. Feb. 22. He will also lead a discussion about music education at SUNY Potsdam’s Crane School of Music on Feb. 23.

This event is free for all SUNY Potsdam and Clarkson University students. Tickets are $10 for all SUNY Potsdam or Clarkson employees and seniors, and $15 for the general public.

Tickets can be purchased by visiting the Community Performance Series Box Office, located in the lobby of the Sara M. Snell Music Theater on the SUNY Potsdam campus, which is open between 12:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. Tickets can also be purchased by calling (315) 267-2277 or visiting at www.cpspotsdam.org.

Thousands of readers like you have made Northern New York Newspapers the number one ranked website* for local news and sports coverage in the north country.

You can continue on to this article in a few seconds, or you can visit one of our websites:

• Watertown Daily Times
• The Ogdensburg Journal
• Daily Courier-Observer