<?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1"?> <docID>327774</docID> <postdate>2024-08-28 12:14:27</postdate> <headline>Prizewinning pianist steps into the Snow Concert Hall spotlight</headline> <body><p><img class=" wp-image-327778" src="https://citynews.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Lukas-Vondracek.jpg" alt="" width="902" height="601" /></p> <caption>Czech pianist Lukáš VondráÄek</caption> <p><strong>Thirty-seven -year-old Czech pianist Lukáš VondráÄek will be at the Snow Concert Hall on Monday as the second of four artists performing in its Virtuoso Piano Master Series</strong>.</p> <p>VondráÄek’s appearance follows that of Korean star pianist star Joyce Yang’s appearance in May. It will continue on October 16 with British-Romanian pianist Alexandra Dariscu, and on November 1 with French pianist Jean Efflam Bavouzet.</p> <p>At the age of four VondráÄek made his first public appearance, then at 15 made his début performance with Czech Philharmonic, under the aegis of the pianist and conductor Vladimir Ashkenazy, who said of him: "Such a pianist is born once in 30 years".</p> <p>Since winning Belgium’s Queen Elisabeth Competition in 2016, VondráÄek has gone on to win numerous international prizes and has performed with orchestras such as the Philadelphia and Sydney Symphony orchestras, Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra and Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra.</p> <p>Robert Schumann is VondráÄek’s favourite composer, so he will perform Schumann’s Kreisleriana, Op.16, Arabesque in C major, Op. 18, but his program here will also comprise Brahms’ Seven Fantasias, Op. 116 and Scriabin’s Fantasie in B minor, Op. 28.</p> <p><em>Lukáš VondráÄek, piano, Snow Concert Hall, September 2. </em></p> </body>