SALT LAKE CITY — Nobody plays the Beethoven Violin Concerto like Itzhak Perlman.
That’s what 26-year-old violinist and Utah native William Hagen quickly learned when he graduated from East High and attended the Juilliard School, where he studied with Perlman for two years.
“I never got used to having Itzhak Perlman give me a private lesson,” Hagen previously told the Deseret News. “Besides being a great musician, he is also as experienced as it gets. It was great to have a lesson on Beethoven Concerto with somebody who has played the piece hundreds of times with orchestras on every continent.”
Now, the Israeli American violin master, who has won more than a dozen Grammys, is bringing his interpretation of that piece to Brigham Young University — his first performance on the Provo campus, BYU announced Tuesday morning. Perlman’s performance, accompanied by the BYU Philharmonic, comes Jan. 9, 2020, and commemorates Ludwig van Beethoven’s 250th birthday. (On May 16, 2020, violin virtuoso Joshua Bell will perform this same piece with the Utah Symphony as part of the symphony’s efforts to celebrate Beethoven’s birthday all season long.)
Perlman isn’t the only big name headlining BYU’s 2019-20 BRAVO! Professional Performing Arts Series. Singer-actress Patti LuPone, who starred as Eva Peron in the original Broadway production of “Evita,” will kick off BYU’s Bravo! season Sept. 7, 2019. The two-time Tony Award winner and Broadway star, who starred in the 2008 Broadway revival of "Gypsy," will perform show tunes from the likes of Richard Rodgers, Stephen Schwartz (“Wicked”), Jule Styne (“Funny Girl”), Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim, to name a few. LuPone, joined by students from BYU’s Music Dance Theatre, will also share memories from her time on Broadway.
In another big highlight of the season, the Utah Symphony will travel south to bring its performance of George Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue,” featuring leading Gershwin pianist Kevin Cole, and other Gershwin classics to BYU’s de Jong Concert Hall.
Other performances during BYU’s Bravo! season include the Dublin Guitar Quartet, piano duo Anderson & Roe, composer-percussionist Zakir Hussain, and “We Shall Overcome,” a celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. that weaves the music that inspired civil rights activists and defenders with Dr. King’s speeches, according to a news release.
“This is a truly exciting season!” BRAVO! series director Bridget Benton said in the news release. “We welcome two of the most celebrated professionals in the arts, Itzhak Perlman and Patti LuPone. These giants are joined by incredible talent from around the world — from whimsical to transcendent, there is something for everyone during this season.”
Season tickets are now available, and individual tickets go on sale approximately four to six weeks before the first performance of each production, according to the news release. Tickets can be purchased in person at the BYU ticket office (with locations in the Harris Fine Arts Center and the Marriott Center), over the phone at 801-422-2981 or online at byuarts.com.
Below is the full 2019-20 season schedule:
An Evening with Patti LuPone: Sept. 7, de Jong Concert Hall
Thomas Hampson and Luca Pisaroni (No Tenors Allowed): Oct. 1, de Jong Concert Hall
Utah Symphony presents “Rhapsody in Blue”: Nov. 14, de Jong Concert Hall
Tenebrae (Path of Miracles): Nov. 19, de Jong Concert Hall
Itzhak Perlman: Jan. 9, 2020, de Jong Concert Hall
“New Owner” (as part of BYU’s International Theatre Festival, Off the Map): Jan. 23-25, 2020, Nelke Theatre
Kune (Canada’s Global Orchestra): Jan. 23-24, 2020, Pardoe Theatre
Dublin Guitar Quartet: Feb. 4, 2020, Madsen Recital Hall
Anderson & Roe: Feb. 13, 2020, Madsen Recital Hall
“We Shall Overcome: A Celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.” featuring Damien Sneed: March 3, 2020, de Jong Concert Hall
Air Play (Off the Map): March 18, 2020, de Jong Concert Hall
Zakir Hussain with Jayanthi Kumaresh and R. Kumaresh: April 2, 2020, Madsen Recital Hall
Parsons Dance: April 10, 2020, Pardoe Theatre