The concert is in partnership with the 2024 Rebecca Penneys Piano Festival
Hillsborough County, Fla. (June 18, 2024) - New Tampa Performing Arts Center (NTPAC) will host a free concert featuring pianists who were selected for the 2024 Rebecca Penneys Piano Festival (RPPF) on Saturday, July 6, at 3 p.m. RPPF is one of the world's premier piano festivals, bringing together award-winning collegiate pianists from around the globe.
The festival is held annually at the University of South Florida, where invited pianists experience an intensive, 3-week program that includes learning and performing opportunities spearheaded by a world-class faculty of international artists.
Selected from more than 250 applications across 25 countries, this year's RPPF pianists include students from The Juilliard School, National University of Singapore, Royal Danish Academy, Yale School of Music, Seoul National University, Oberlin Conservatory, Shanghai Conservatory, Eastman School of Music, and The Glenn Gould School in Toronto.
NTPAC invites the community to hear the following featured RPPF artists perform on Saturday, July 6.
- Linda Ruan, 26, is a Chinese-Canadian pianist who was named one of Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's Hot 30 Under 30 Canadian Classical Musicians. Ruan is passionate about sharing the potential of music to overcome boundaries across cultures.
- Yiying Niu, 26, was born in Anyang, China. She has appeared internationally in venues in China, the United States, and countries in Europe.
- Adrian King, 21, recently received the gold medal at the Seattle International Piano Competition. Additionally, he won the 2018 Aloha International Piano Festival Competition and performed Prokofiev's Concerto No. 3 with the Hawaii Symphony Orchestra.
- Celine Chen, 20, shares her love for music through her work in the Back to BACH Project as a director of global operations. With around 70 global regions, the Back to BACH Project aims to provide music and arts education to inspire the next generation.
The concert is free to attend with limited capacity. Guests must register for a ticket in advance at NewTampaArtsCenter.org/tickets.
To learn more about RPPF and additional satellite concerts and events throughout the Tampa Bay area, visit rebeccapenneyspianofestival.org. Find out more about NTPAC's upcoming events at NewTampaArtsCenter.org and on social media. Follow New Tampa Performing Arts Center on Facebook, Instagram and X at @NewTampaPAC. For questions about event tickets, email TicketsNTPAC@hcfl.gov. NTPAC is located at 8550 Hunters Village Rd., Tampa, FL 33647.