Pianist Luka Okros to feature in Classical Season of London's Southbank Centre
The 27-year-old pianist has appeared in major international performance venues and received awards from festivals and competitions. Photo: lukaokros.com.
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London-based Georgian pianist Luka Okros will add another major performance venue to his musical appearances later this month when the artist holds a solo concert at London's Southbank Centre.
Promoted as the UK’s largest arts venue and one of the capital city's "leading cultural complexes", the centre's Purcell Hall will host Okros in his renditions of works by Frédéric Chopin and Franz Liszt for classical music enthusiasts.
Throughout 95 minutes of the show the Georgian-born artist will play all four of Chopin’s Ballades before using his talent for interpreting the "intensely dramatic" Sonata in B minor by Liszt, a preview for the concert said.
At the age of 27, Okros has established himself as one of the most promising pianists of his generation.
He has already won eight first prizes in top international piano competitions and performed in some of the world’s greatest concert halls – including Carnegie Hall, Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory and Liszt Academy," the Southbank Centre said ahead of the show.
The 27-year-old's appearance in London will be part of the Southbank Centre's Classical Season, launched last September and set to run through July 2020.
The programme also involves shows by pianists Maurizio Pollini and Angela Hewitt and the European premiere of a new work by composer Philip Glass, among other highlights.
Outside of the season, the London venue's ongoing programme features artists including composer Olafur Arnalds, singer and guitarist Johnny Marr and dancer and choreographer Oona Doherty.
As part of his performance dates, Okros appeared for a solo show at the Milton Combe Festival in the United Kingdom last week and he also played at Amsterdam's Royal Concertgebouw last month.
He is scheduled to hold solo shows in Uruguay following the London event before returning to Europe later in the year.
The Georgian has collected awards from international festivals and competitions including the Scottish International Piano Competition in Glasgow, the Tabor Foundation at the Verbier Festival and the Hong Kong International Piano Competition.
His appearance at the Southbank Centre is scheduled for July 16.
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