January 26th: Lomazov/Rackers Piano Duo to perform in Florence

St. John’s Epiphany Concert Series continues with a performance by the Lomazov/Rackers Piano Duo on Sunday, January 26 at 6:00 p.m. in the church’s parish hall.  There is no charge for the concert, but donations are appreciated.  Light refreshments will be provided.  St. John’s is located at 252 S. Dargan Street in Florence.  Parking is available in the lot behind the church, as well as on Dargan Street.

The Lomazov/Rackers Piano Duo garnered wide attention as the Second Prize Winners of the Sixth Biennial Ellis Duo Piano Competition in 2005, the only national competition for piano duo in the United States at that time. Since then, they have performed as recitalists and in concert with orchestras throughout the United States and Europe, including performances at the Kiev International Music Festival (Ukraine), Varna International Piano Festival (Bulgaria), Moulin d'Andé Arts Festival (France), Burgos International Music Festival (Spain), and Infiorata di Genzano (Italy) in addition to appearances in every region of the United States.

Lomazov and Rackers are Steinway Artists. Recent engagements include performances at the Society of Composers International Conference, the Chernigov Philharmonic (Ukraine), South Carolina Philharmonic, Piccolo Spoleto Festival, and numerous others. Their performances have been described as "splendid" (Rochester, NY, WXXI radio), and a review of a performance of the Poulenc Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra said simply: "The soloists? Amazing" (The State).

The Lomazov/Rackers duo has premiered numerous works across the United States, including several works written specifically for them. Their broad repertoire ranges from important works by Bach, Brahms, Mozart, and Schubert to wide-ranging performances of Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring and Petrushka, leading one critic to write that the duo “really lit up the audience…demonstrated that nearly 100 years after it was written, this modernist touchstone can still sound modern” (Free Times).

Praised as a “diva of the piano” (Salt Lake City Tribune), Marina Lomazov has performed throughout the United States, Europe, South America, and China. She has won prizes in the Gina Bachauer, Cleveland, William Kapell, and Hilton Head international piano competitions and was the first pianist to be awarded the Artist Diploma at the Eastman School of Music in nearly two decades.

Praised for “unflappable virtuosity” (American Record Guide), Joseph Rackers has performed throughout the United States, Bulgaria, Canada, China, France, Germany, Spain, and Ukraine at venues including the Shanghai and Sichuan Conservatories of Music (China), Dame Myra Hess Concert Series (Chicago), Banff Centre for the Arts (Canada), Yantai International Music Festival (China). He is the recipient of the prestigious Performer’s Certificate from the Eastman School of Music.

Ms. Lomazov and Mr. Rackers each hold the Doctor of Musical Arts Degree in Piano Performance from the Eastman School of Music and both serve on the piano faculty of the University of South Carolina School of Music where they co-direct the Southeastern Piano Festival.

The remainder of the Epiphany Concert Series slate is as follows: Harp Trio (harp, viola, flute), February 9; River City Dixieland Jazz Band, February 16; USC University Chorus, February 23.  A downloadable brochure is available atwww.stjohnsflorence.org.