Father-daughter pianists to perform at Music at Messiah

MADISON – The next concert in the Music at Messiah classical music series will feature pianists Yakov Kasman and his daughter Dina Kasman on Oct. 14.

Music at Messiah is free and open to the public. The concert starts at 4 p.m. in Messiah Lutheran’s sanctuary at 7740 U.S. 72 W. in Madison. A light reception will follow the concert so guests can meet the Kasmans.

“Our goal with Music at Messiah is to provide high-quality classical music performances in Madison,” coordinator John Shriver said. 

The Kasmans’ concert will feature music of Bach, Schubert, Rachmaninoff, Kapustin, Hindemith and Gottschalk. Dina’s performance will include Bach’s “Toccata in E Minor” and Hindemith’s “Suite 1922, Op. 26” with March, Boston and Ragtime sections.

Yakov will play as soloist for “Vocalise Op. 34, No. 14” and various prelude arrangements by Rachmaninoff. Performing together, the Kasmans will play Schubert’s “Fantasia in F minor for Piano four-hands”; Kapustin’s “Etude Op. 40, No. 1,” “Prelude,” “Finale”; and Gottschalk’s “Grande Tarantelle.”

After tours in Europe and the Middle East, Yakov Kasman’s debuted in America in 1997 as Silver Medalist in the tenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in Fort Worth, Texas. His prize list includes the Valentino Bucchi Competition, Rome; London World Piano Competition; Artur Rubinstein International Competition, Tel Aviv, Israel; and International Prokofiev Competition, St. Petersburg, Russia.

Since his American debut, Yakov has given concerts in the United States, South America, Europe, Russia and Asia. He has appeared as soloist with more than 70 orchestras worldwide. He has compiled 15 studio CD recordings.

Currently, he is Distinguished Professor of Piano and Artist-in-Residence at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Also at UAB, Dina has entered the UAB Department of Music and University Honors Program. She studies piano with her father Yakov.

Dina, 18, has won numerous local, state and regional competitions, including two consecutive Alabama Symphony concerto competitions. She has participated in the Kiev International Music Academy in Ukraine and performed as soloist with National Symphony of Ukraine.

Dina frequently presents recitals in Birmingham, Huntsville and Fairhope. She plays at charity events and works as a collaborative pianist with both students and professional artists.