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Alain Barker
IU Jacobs School of Music
abarker@indiana.edu
812-856-5719

Last modified: Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Film showing honors the memory of IU piano legend Gyorgy Sebok

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Nov. 4, 2009

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- World-renowned pianist and pedagogue Gyorgy Sebok will be remembered in Auer Concert Hall Nov. 14, on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of his death. The free event, beginning at 3:15 p.m., will feature a newly remastered edition of the 1997 documentary Gyorgy Sebok: A Music Lesson, which was filmed at his world-famous master classes in Ernen, Switzerland. The event will also include a few reminiscences from people who knew him.

Distinguished Professor Sebok was a member of the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music piano faculty from 1962 until his death in 1999. He reached thousands of students not only through piano lessons, but through chamber music classes that were open to all -- and which became anticipated events in their own right.

A major international pianist, Sebok was a winner of the Grand Prix du Disque and the recipient of national honors from countries around the globe. He was a guest professor at the Berlin Hochschule, Toho-Gakuen School of Music in Japan, and School of the Arts in Banff, Canada. He gave regular master classes in France, Barcelona, Amsterdam, the Hague, Oregon and Hungary. His extraordinary performances are fondly remembered by those who attended his concerts.

The festival and master classes in Ernen were an annual highlight of Sebok's musical life and featured the opportunity for young musicians from across the globe to participate in classes with Sebok, together with a performance festival of world-class musicians gathering to create solo, orchestral and chamber music. The presence of the annual master classes helped established a worldwide reputation for the village of Ernen.

The documentary features extensive interviews with Sebok, giving real insight into the depth and breadth of his musical philosophy.