Dear Friends of the Liszt Society,
It is our pleasure to invite you to attend one of the solo recitals to be given by an extremely talented young Brazilian pianist, Priscilla Dantas. Keeping with the Lisztian tradition of encouraging and financially helping young talents, the Oregon Chapter of the American Liszt Society is proud to be part of this effort. You will find the complete information below. Priscilla’s story is a fascinating one, and very close to my heart as a Brazilian. It is really impressive to see her growth in the past few years, specially considering the poor conditions where she was born.
I hope to see you in one of her performances, scheduled for the month of July in Eugene, Albany, Corvallis and Roseburg. Your presence will not only encourage her to continue the wonderful work she has done already, but will allow her to build a strong scholarship fund for her future studies at the University of Oregon. Let’s bring such talent to our beautiful state!
Best regards,
Alexandre Dossin
President, Oregon Chapter of the American Liszt Society
Current News
Chapter received a Stanley B. Greenfield Award
Our chapter received a Stanley B. Greenfield Award that made possible the purchase of the complete set of recordings of Liszt’s piano music (58 vols., many of which are double CDs, for a total of a little under 100 CDs) recorded by pianist and musicologist Leslie Howard, president of the British Liszt Society. The complete series of CDs is already available at the University of Oregon Knight Library, Douglass Music Room. With this purchase, plus the ongoing purchases of the scores in the complete Liszt Edition (Editio Musica Budapest), and recent purchases of the complete book series "American Liszt Society Studies" our University and the Oregon Chapter of the American Liszt Society get on the forefront of Lisztian scholarship.
Alexandre Dossin Joins the Board
Our chapter president, Alexandre Dossin, just returned from Washington DC, where he performed at the American Liszt Society Festival and was elected a member of the Board of Directors of the American Liszt Society.
Young Brazilian Piano Prodigy Supported by Local Students to Perform in Eugene
Priscilla Almeida Dantas (photos): invited by University of Oregon piano professor to perform recitals in several Oregon cities; lives in poverty in Brazil, receives an academic scholarship partially funded by several Eugene/Springfield schools, and plans on being an exchange student at Churchill High School and a U of O piano major.
Fifteen-year-old Priscilla Dantas is an amazing young girl who, in spite of the poverty in which she lives in Recife, Brazil, has achieved notable levels of success as a pianist. Her father is a guard at a local music conservatory, and he arranged for his daughter to take free music lessons. She took her first piano lesson at age 9, was the subject of a Brazilian national television news report at the age of 11 and performed as the guest pianist with the Recife Symphonic Orchestra at the age of 14. See video of national television report of her June 2007 performance on YouTube below:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8XZrPn9NZY
Three and a half years ago, Priscilla received an academic scholarship from Students Helping Street Kids International (SHSKI). Among those funding her scholarship are Churchill High School, Springfield High School, and Yolanda Elementary School & Centennial Elementary School of Springfield. Priscilla excels in academics and on the piano. Her goal is to be an international concert pianist.
Dr. Alexandre Dossin, Assistant Professor of Piano at the University of Oregon (http://www.dossin.net), upon seeing DVDs of her performances, stated, that, in his seven years as a piano professor in the U.S., he has never seen a pianist of her age play as well as she does. Upon learning that Priscilla was planning on being an exchange student at Churchill High School in the 2010-11 school year, followed by applying to the University of Oregon School of Music and Dance, he invited her to perform a series of recitals in Oregon – Eugene, Albany, Corvallis and Roseburg. Dr. Dossin further shared his opinion that Priscilla, indeed, has a “chance” of achieving her lofty goal of becoming an international concert pianist.
Every two years, there is a statewide piano competition held in Recife. During the last competition in 2007, when she was 14 years old, she was required to compete in the 17-20-year-old age group, due to her skill level. She won, as she has done every year that she has competed. In addition to performing Mozart with the Recife Symphonic Orchestra (she played without the music in front of her), she has performed numerous times in prestigious settings in Recife, and has even played on the beach in Rio de Janeiro on a very popular television program called Calderão do Hulck, which is seen by millions across Brazil.
The public will have several opportunities to see and hear Priscilla perform. There is no charge to attend one of her recitals, but donations are requested. Donations will be used to fund her future education in Eugene. Make checks payable to SHSKI, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Donations are fully tax deductible, and if you would like to have a tax receipt, provide your name and address so that SHSKI can mail you one.
Priscilla’s Recital Schedule
July 8
Metropolitan Rotary Club, Downtown Athletic Club, 999 Willamette St., Eugene. Rotary members and guests only. 6PM
July 12
First Congregational United Church of Christ, 4515 SW Hills Road, Corvallis. 7:30PM
July 13
Westminster Presbyterian Church, 777 Coburg Road, Eugene. 3PM
July 19
Reustle Vineyard, 960 Cal Henry Road, Roseburg. Wine club members only. 6PM
July 20
First United Methodist Church, 1376 Olive Street, Eugene. 4PM
July 27
St. Mary’s Catholic Church, 728 SW Ellsworth, Albany. 4PM
Students Helping Street Kids International (SHSKI) was founded by former Springfield School District counselor Bob Crites to provide an international community service project for American students, in which American students raise funds to provide academic scholarships for impoverished children in Brazil, thereby giving the recipients an opportunity to climb out of poverty. In this students-helping-students scholarship program both groups of students are greatly benefited. While the Brazilian scholarship recipients’ lives are profoundly changed, the American students also gain as their view of the world is broadened and they learn to experience the rewards of helping someone less fortunate than themselves.
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If you would like more information about this topic, or to schedule an interview with Bob Crites, please call Jim Beyer at 541-683-8446 or e-mail Jim at jimbeyer@comcast.net
