Guest Artist: Dr. Alessandra Feris, piano
About the event
Brazilian pianist Alessandra Feris has performed widely in Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, Costa Rica, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Portugal, Serbia, Greece, and in the United States, making successful solo debuts in major venues such as the Theatro São Pedro in Porto Alegre (Brazil), the Costa Rican National Theater, the Steinway Haus in Frankfurt (Germany), and the Palácio de Bellas Artes (Sala Manuel M. Ponce) in Mexico City. She holds a bachelor’s degree from the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil, an Artist Diploma from the Hochschule für Musik ‘Franz Liszt’ in Germany, a master’s degree from the University of Iowa and a doctoral degree from Florida State University. Her major teachers include Dirce Knijnik, Thomas Steinhöfel, Réne Lecuona, Read Gainsford, and the legendary Lazar Berman. A sought-after pedagogue and winner of many teaching awards, she is an Associate Professor of Piano at the University of South Dakota. Her students are winners of many competitions such as the MTNA Young Artist and Senior (state level), Truran Piano Competition, and the University of South Dakota Concerto Competition. She has previously served as Piano Faculty and Artist-in-Residence of Mississippi Gulf Coast College, where she received the ‘Mississippi Humanities Council Teacher of the Year Award.’ A passionate collaborative pianist, she enjoys performing with colleagues and is a member of Duo Weimar with cellist Pedro Bielschowsky and Duo Paul-Feris with oboist Jeffrey Paul. Alessandra Feris is an artist-teacher at the InterHarmony International Music Festival in Italy, the Lancaster International Piano Festival in Pennsylvania, and the Piano Plus Festival in Greece.