Brazilian native Arnaldo Cohen to present April 1 concert

Brazilian-born classical pianist Arnaldo Cohen will perform in concert at 8 p.m. Thursday, April 1, in Ladd Concert Hall at Zankel Music Center on the Skidmore campus. The program features music by Chopin, Bach (transcribed by Busoni), and several Brazilian composers. 

Cohen comes to Skidmore as a guest artist in the Sterne Virtuoso Series, and will also present a piano master class at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 31, in the Ladd Concert Hall.

Both events are open to the public. General admission for the concert is $12, $10 for seniors and Skidmore faculty/staff, and $3 for students. Tickets may be purchased online or by phone at 1-888-71-TICKETS.

The concert is co-sponsored by Skidmore's Department of Music and Latin American Studies Program.

Cohen's recent North American performances have included engagements with the Cleveland Orchestra, the Philadelphia Orchestra, and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. His recitals have included a critically acclaimed performance at New York's Town Hall.

His musical career took off after he won the 1972 Busoni International Piano Competition. He was a member of the Amadeus Trio, and has recorded frequently, both with orchestras and solo.

A Boston Globe review said Cohen played with "all-devouring color, charisma, drama and whimsy."

Cohen's 2001 recording, Brasiliana -Three Centuries of Brazilian Music, features a "polka meets chorinho" romp by Ernesto Nazareth, as well as other "piano miniatures" that he will perform at Skidmore. Chopin's Four Scherzi will comprise the second part of the program.

An artist of diverse interests and talents, Cohen began his musical studies at the age of five, graduating from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro with an honors degree in both piano and violin, while also studying for an engineering degree. He went on to be a professional violinist in the Rio de Janeiro Opera House Orchestra to earn his living while continuing piano studies. Cohen held a professorship at the Royal Academy of Music in London, where he lived for 23 years. He recently relocated to the U.S., joining the music faculty at Indiana University in Bloomington.