PIANIST Ivan Ilic will perform works by Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninoff when he plays at Rhosygilwen on Saturday, November 4 from 8pm-10.30pm

Ilic earned degrees in mathematics and music at the University of California Berkeley before moving to Paris on a university fellowship. He then studied at the Conservatoire Supérieur de Paris, where he took a Premier Prix. The City of Paris sponsored his first recording.

Early career highlights included recitals at Carnegie Hall, Wigmore Hall, Ireland’s National Concert Hall, Toronto’s Glenn Gould Studio, and the American Academy in Rome. He recently gave recital débuts in Vienna, Sao Paulo and Geneva.

Ilic’s recordings have played a significant role in spreading his international reputation. His CD of 24 Préludes by Claude Debussy (2008) received Mezzo Television’s Critic’s Choice Award in France and was a Top Five CD of the Year of Fanfare Magazine.

It was also selected by Classique News in France as a Top Five CD of the Month. The album was broadcast on Radio France, BBC Radio 3, Dutch Radio 4, American Public Radio, Radio Hong Kong and numerous other stations.

His next CD (2012) featured the complete Chopin Studies for the left hand by Leopold Godowsky, a tour-de-force of musicianship and virtuosity. The recording was described as “a major achievement” and “breathtaking” by BBC Radio 3.

The album was broadcast widely across six continents. Videos of Ilic performing Godowsky on YouTube attracted more than 500,000 views.

From left hand repertoire, Ivan shifted his focus to US composer Morton Feldman, which led to a trilogy of publications. The first was The Transcendentalist (2014). The album was nominated by the International Classical Music Awards for “Album of the Year”. Forbes mentioned it in their 2014 list of Top 10 New Classical Releases.

Part two of the Feldman Trilogy was an unconventional art book/CD/DVD, published by the Geneva University of Art & Design, while part three was Ilic’s recording of “For Bunita Marcus.”

In recent years Ivan Ili?’s approach has broadened in scope. He has co-produced several five-hour radio series for Swiss Radio Espace 2. He also writes about music: recent articles have appeared on the websites of Gramophone, BBC Music Magazine, Music & Literature and Limelight.

Tickets for the event are £12.50 and further information is available on 01239 841387.