British Pianist Makes Seattle Debut

British piano virtuoso Paul Lewis appears at Benaroya Hall for the first time, for a special performance of two Mozart Piano Sonatas, sandwiching further piano beauties from Chopin and Schubert. Mozart's 13th and 17th sonatas get their airing at the top and tail of the program, while Schubert's Drei Klavierstucke (Three Piano Pieces) and Chopin's Polonaise and Two Nocturnes bring further brilliance to the evening.

British pianist Paul Lewis, the first in his family to embark on a musical career, the son of a Liverpool dock worker and a local council employee. Starting off with the cello in order to gain a scholarship for musical studies, his piano playing took off when he joined a prestigious music school in Manchester. He fist came to prominence when he won second prize at the 1994 World Piano Competition in London and has since toured globally to great acclaim, being bestowed the title of Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2016 for his services to music.