Belmont University School of Music
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2025
7:30 P.M.
MCAFEE CONCERT HALL
Belmont University School of Music presents the
Woods PianoConcert Series Marina Lomazov, piano
Prelude and Fugue in C major, Op. 87, No. 2
Dmitri Shostakovch
Prelude and Fugue in A minor, Op. 87, No. 2 (1906-1975)
The Seasons, Op. 37a Pyotr Tchaikovsky
8. August: Harvest (1840-1893)
10. October: Autumn Song
11. November: Troika
Prelude in G sharp minor, Op. 32, No. 12 Sergei Rachmaninoff
Prelude in G minor, Op. 32, No. 5 (1873-1943)
Etude-Tableau in D major, Op. 39, No. 9
Intermission
Pictures at an Exhibition Modest Mussorgsky Promenade (1839-1881) Gnome
The Old Castle
Tuileries (Children’s Quarrel After Playing Oxen (The Oxcart)
Ballet of the Unhatched Chicks
Two Jews, One Rich and the Other Poor Promenade
Limoges. The Market (The Big News) Catacombs. Roman Sepulchre
[Con mortuis in lingua mortus]
The Hut on Chicken Legs (Baba Yaga)
The Great Gate (in the Capital, Kiev)
HARMONIA MUNDI
Exclusive Management: ARTS MANAGEMENT GROUP, INC., 130 W. 57th St., New York, NY 10019
About the Performer
Praised by critics as “a diva of the piano” (The Salt Lake City Tribune), “a mesmerizing risktaker” (The Plain Dealer, Cleveland), and “simply spectacular” (Chicago International Music Foundation), Ukrainian-American pianist Marina Lomazov has established herself as one of the most passionate and charismatic performers on the concert scene today. New York Times chief music critic Anthony Tommasini describes a recent New York performance as “dazzling” and Talk Magazine Shanghai describes her performances as “a dramatic blend of boldness and wit.”
Lomazov has earned prizes in the Cleveland International Piano Competition, William Kapell International Piano Competition, Gina Bachauer International Piano Competition, and Hilton Head International Piano Competition, and has given performances throughout North America, South America, China, South Korea, Japan, England, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Austria, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Russia, and in nearly all of the fifty states in the United States. She has given major debuts in New York (Weill-Carnegie Hall), Boston (Symphony Hall), Chicago (Dame Myra Hess Concert Series), Los Angeles (Museum of Art), Shanghai (City Theater), and Kiev (Kiev International Music Festival), including performances with the Boston Pops and Rochester Philharmonic among dozens of orchestras.
In recent seasons, Lomazov has performed extensively in China, including concerts in Shenyang, Shenzhen, Chengdu, Dalian, Guangzhou, Jinan, Nanjing, Qingdao, and Yingkou. She is a frequent guest at music festivals in the U.S. and abroad, including Hamamatsu, Chautauqua, Brevard, Spoleto, Interlochen, Amalfi Coast, Atlantic, Eastman, Art of the Piano, and numerous others. She has recorded for the Albany, Centaur and Innova labels and American Record Guide praised her recent recording of piano works by Rodion Shchedrin for its “breathtaking virtuosity”. She has been featured on National Public Radio’s “Performance Today,” the “Bravo” cable channel and WNYC’s “Young Artist Showcase” and her recordings have been broadcast more than 100 times by WNYC and WQXR in New York, WFMT in Chicago and WBGH in Boston.
Lomazov is Professor of Piano at the Eastman School of Music, Founder of the Southeastern Piano Festival, and Artistic Director of the Vivace Music Foundation. She has served as jury member for the Cleveland International Piano Competition, American Pianists Association, Hilton Head International Piano Competition, New Orleans International Piano Competition, Eastman International Piano Competition, Minnesota International Piano Competition, and served as Chair of the National Panel for the National Foundation for Advancement of the Arts, the organization that nominates Presidential Scholars in the Arts.
Before immigrating to the United States in 1990, Lomazov studied at the Kiev Conservatory where she became the youngest First Prize Winner at the all-Kiev Piano Competition. Ms. Lomazov holds degrees from the Juilliard School and the Eastman School of Music, the latter bestowing upon her the highly coveted Artist’s Certificate – an honor the institution had not given a pianist for nearly two decades. Her principal teachers include Natalya Antonova, Jerome Lowenthal, and Barry Snyder. Also active as a chamber musician, Lomazov has performed widely as a member of the Lomazov/Rackers Piano Duo. The duo garnered significant attention as Second Prize winners at the Sixth Biennial Ellis Competition for Duo Pianists (2005), the only national duo piano competition in the United States at that time. Praised for “demon precision and complete dedication,” the duo performs extensively throughout the United States and abroad.
Marina Lomazov is a Steinway Artist.
Bio courtesy of http://marinalomazov.com/
Woods Piano Concert Series Previous Guest Artists
Dror Biran
1997 Silver Medalist, Cleveland International Piano Competition
Sean Chen
2013 Crystal Award, Van Clibum International Piano Competition
Olga Kern
2001 Gold Medalist, Van Cliburn International Piano Competition
Vadym Kholodenko
2013 Gold Medalist, Van Cliburn International Piano Competition
Alexander Kobrin
2005 Gold Medalist, Van Cliburn International Piano Competition
George Li
2015 Silver Medalist, Tchaikovsky International Piano Competition
Spencer Meyer
2008 Gold Medalist, New Orleans International Piano Competition
Jon Nakamatsu
1997 Gold Medalist, Van Cliburn International Piano Competition
Alberto Reyes
1970 Honors, Tchaikovsky International Piano Competition
Yeol Eum Son
2009 Silver Medalist, Van Cliburn International Piano Competition
Joyce Yang
2005 Silver Medalist, Van Cliburn International Piano Competition
Sean Chen
2013 Crystal Award, Van Clibum International Piano Competition
Merrydale Sutherland Woods (1915-2007)
“My passion has always been the piano and making music,” said Merrydale Woods, ninety-one, upon making a decision in 2006 to leave a bequest in her will that ultimately would create an endowed scholarship for talented piano majors and fund enough new Steinway pianos for Belmont University’s School of Music to become an All-Steinway School, a prestigious designation held by few Schools of Music across the country. In addition, her largesse has made possible The Woods Piano Concert Series, which began in 2010.
Mrs. Woods was married for sixty-eight years to her “soulmate,” Hunter Woods, who had a successful business that required much travel. He retired early and spent many years studying and investing in the stock market. They had no children and so Mrs. Woods decided early on that she wanted her own career to pursue her passion for classical music through teaching piano in her home. Hundreds of young people benefitted from her teaching over the years, many of whom kept in touch long into their adult lives.
Beethoven and Mozart were always her favorites but she could play an amazing jazz or contemporary medley of tunes as well. When she made the decision to include the Belmont University School of Music in her will, Mrs. Woods said, “I hope the endowed scholarship fund will help others enjoy the music making I’ve enjoyed over the years. If you end up loving music, it is wonderful because you can then share it with someone else. When I was young, there were many people who helped me along the way. I now know that my life has had a greater purpose – that after my death there will be young people at Belmont who will be able to pursue their passion for music – and that makes me feel good.”
The School of Music is very appreciative of the wonderful gift from the estate of Merrydale Woods and is pleased to present tonight’s performance.
Belmont University School of Music
The Belmont University School of Music is one of the largest and most comprehensive music schools in the South. A stimulating artistic community that fosters the study of performance and creation of music in a context of excellence and respect for diversity in musical styles, the School of Music has over 700 music majors who are instructed by sixty-two full-time and sixty-one adjunct faculty. A variety of degrees may be earned, including the professional music degree, Bachelor of Music, with majors in performance (brass, guitar, organ, percussion, piano, strings, voice, and woodwinds), church music, commercial music, composition, music education, musical theatre, music technology, music theory, music therapy, music with an outside minor, and piano pedagogy. Other degrees include the Bachelor of Arts with a general major in music, Bachelor of Fine Arts with a major in musical theatre, and Master of Music with majors in church music, commercial music, composition, music education, music teaching, multiple woodwinds, pedagogy, and performance.
The School of Music provides a broad range of instrumental ensemble participation to all students. University offerings include Bass Ensemble, Bluegrass Ensemble, Concert Band, Guitar Ensemble, Jazz Ensemble, New Music Ensemble, Pep Band, Percussion Ensemble, Rock Ensemble, String Chamber Orchestra, Symphony Orchestra, Wind Ensemble, World Music ensemble, and chamber ensembles for brass, strings, and woodwinds. Vocal and choral ensembles include Bel Canto, Chamber Singers, Chorale, Company, Jazzmin, Phoenix, The Popular Music Ensemble, Southbound, University Singers, The Vocal Collective, and Voxology. Faculty ensembles at Belmont include the Belmont Camerata Musicale, Belmont Brass Quintet, Belmont Woodwind Quintet, and Faculty Jazz.
A School of Music highlight is the annual presentation of Christmas at Belmont, a concert featuring the diversity of musical offerings at the university Past performances have been featured on Amazon Prime Video and PBS.
Upcoming Concerts and Events
Woods Piano Masterclass Marina Lomazov
Wednesday, October 8, 10:00 a.m. McAfee Concert Hall
Music and Discourse: Dr. Julia Heath-Reynolds Sensory-Friendly Concert Programming
Wednesday, October 8, 10:00 a.m. Hitch 130
Commercial Guitar Ensembles I & II
Wednesday, October 8, 7:30 p.m. Massey Concert Hall
Belmont University Symphony Orchestra
Thursday, October 9, 7:30 p.m. McAfee Concert Hall
Bass Ensemble & Rock Ensemble
Saturday, October 18, 7:30 p.m. Harton Recital Hall
From Roar to Rhythm: The Evolution of Jazz featuring Jazz Band I and Jazzmin Sunday, October 19, 2:00 p.m. Fisher Center for the Arts
This is a ticketed event, Students may purchase tickets at the Belmont Box Office
Jazz Band II
Wednesday, October 22, 7:30 p.m. Massey Concert Hall
String Chamber Orchestra with Guest Artists Friday, October 24, 7:30 p.m. McAfee Concert Hall
For more information on upcoming concerts and events, please visit www.belmont.edu/cmpa or “like” Belmont University School of Music on Facebook.
