Husson to welcome pianists

BANGOR – Five years ago, Husson trustee John Kilgore of Surry gave the college a Steinway grand piano. This year, he gave $100,000 to ensure that great pianists will come here to play it.

The first of four concerts in the inaugural Husson Piano Recital Series, funded by Kilgore’s endowment, starts at 7:30 tonight.

Anthony di Bonaventura, chairman of the piano department at Boston University and founder-director of the Piano Institute at Colby College, will perform pieces by Scarlatti, Haydn, Chopin, Rachmaninoff and Kreisler.

Kilgore, a retired oil executive and venture capitalist, selected di Bonaventura after hearing his recordings of Scarlatti’s sonatas.

“He’s always loved piano music and he’s always loved Scarlatti, so this is a wonderful marriage of the two,” said Julie Green, assistant to the president at Husson. “Mr. Kilgore just fell in love with [the recordings].”

Two of di Bonaventura’s former students, Konstantinos Papadakis of Greece and Horia Mihail of Romania, will perform on Sept. 11 and 25 respectively. A recital by New York musician Walter Nowick will conclude the series on Oct. 9

The concert committee scheduled the series at a time when students will be back on campus and when it wouldn’t conflict with any other cultural events in the area. This way, more people will be able to take part.

All concerts will take place at the newly renovated Kominsky Auditorium. The room has a limited capacity, and most of the seats have already sold out.

“It’s a small room but a wonderful place for a concert,” Green said.

But even if the seats don’t sell out, the endowment has been set up to make sure the series continues as an annual event.

“It’s a tremendous gift. Not only has [Kilgore] given of his time to the board and his wealth of business knowledge, but he also recognizes the value of these type of events, the concerts, to the students and the community.”

Tickets for the entire series cost $80. Tickets for individual shows also are available. For information or to purchase tickets, call Julie Green at 941-7129.