PIANO BATTLE Opens UW Presents Spring Season Feb. 5

Two internationally known pianists will do battle onstage at the University of Wyoming Wednesday, Feb. 5, at 7:30 p.m. in the UW Buchanan Center for the Performing Arts concert hall. The duo will open the spring UW Presents season.

The two-man competition is the brainchild of Andreas Kern and Paul Cibis, who bill their performance as “PIANO BATTLE.”

Tickets for the performance cost $15 for the public; $12 for senior citizens, and UW faculty and staff; and $10 for students. Tickets can be purchased at the Performing Arts box office and the Wyoming Union information desk, by calling (307) 766-6666 or by going online at www.uwyo.edu/finearts.

The opening spring performance sees the duo go head-to-head onstage, charming the audience with a variety of classical and contemporary pieces. Part serious piano recital, part tongue-in-cheek performance by two artists, the PIANO BATTLE performance is a unique concert experience that “pleases both the ear and the eye,” according to the duo’s website.

The onstage competition would not be a competition without a jury, and the UW audience will be the performance’s judges. All members of the audience are invited to vote on the duo’s performance to crown the winner.

Born in South Africa, Kern studied piano in Cologne and Berlin, Germany, with Günter Ludwig and Pascal Devoyon. As a soloist and chamber musician, he has extensive experience in Europe, Canada, Hong Kong, China, Japan, India, South Africa and the United States.

Born in Germany, Cibis has performed on five continents and established an international presence. He has been invited to international festivals in the United Kingdom, Germany, the United States, South Africa, Hong Kong, China, Taiwan, Australia and New Zealand. In addition to his many concert appearances, he has been featured in radio and television programs around the world.

The spring 2020 UW Presents season will feature five performances. Visit the website at www.uwyo.edu/uwpresents/season-lineup/ for the spring season lineup.

Each year, UW Presents brings a variety of internationally known performers to the UW campus, often at ticket prices much less than at larger venues. UW Presents assists the university in its broad educational mission by presenting a balanced program of music, theater and dance, featuring performances by artists of national and international distinction.

All shows take place in either the Performing Arts Center or the UW College of Arts and Sciences auditorium.

For more information, call Philip Moline, director of UW Presents, at (307) 766-5139 or email pmoline@uwyo.edu.