Concert pianist Peter Simon will entertain area residents at a free public concert at Seminole State College on Monday evening, November 18.  The “Classy Piano Favorites” program will begin at 7 p.m. in the Utterback Ballroom of the Enoch Kelly Haney Center on campus.

In his continuing effort to increase audience attendance and enjoyment, Simon has created a program that includes many treasured piano songs, including “Moonlight Sonata,” “Clair du Lune,” “Sabre Dance,” “The Entertainer,” “Malaguena” and “Rhapsody in Blue.” The concert is scheduled to last approximately an hour an fifteen minutes.

During his visit to Seminole, Simon will also be entertaining area school children during two daytime concerts scheduled for 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. on November 19. For more information about these concerts, please contact the SSC President’s Office at 405-382-9200.

Simon has established himself as one of America’s finest musicians and most distinctive and versatile musical personalities.  In reaching the heights of his profession, he has accomplished the rare artistic feat of generating both critical acclaim and widespread audience enthusiasm.  As the last student of the legendary pianist Jorge Bolet, Simon has performed in major concert halls, including the Kennedy Center and Carnegie Hall, American Embassies, cruise ships and hundreds of small communities across America.  He has also toured Europe as well as five tours of Asia, primarily in Japan and South Korea. 

Simon enjoys creating “themed programs” to increase audience interest and has performed a one-man play called “Franz Liszt Live,” as pianist/orator in “The Music & Poetry of Love” and “The Spiritual Music of the Great Composers.”  He has been featured on two public television specials: “Profiles & Performances” and “Culture in the Country” as well as his own three-part television series “Peter Simon & Friends.” 

Simon has a firm belief that classical music is meant for everyone regardless of age or background, and devotes much of his time performing outreach programs for numerous school districts as well as being a guest speaker on the importance of the arts in education and everyday life for various civic and social organizations.     

These concerts are being hosted by the SSC Educational Foundation and the Oklahoma Arts Council. The Oklahoma Arts Council is the official state agency for the support and development of the arts. The agency’s mission is to lead in the advancement of Oklahoma’s thriving arts industry. The Oklahoma Arts Council provides more than 400 grants to nearly 225 organizations in communities statewide each year, organizes professional development opportunities for the state’s arts and cultural industry and manages works of art in the Oklahoma Public Art Collection and the public spaces of the state Capitol. Additional information is available at arts.ok.gov.