BRUNSWICK — The Bowdoin International Music Festival brings its 2009 season to a rousing close Friday, Aug. 7, with an all-Tchaikovsky program. Featured will be virtuoso pianist Peng Peng, who attended the festival as a student in 2004.

Born in Nanjing, China, the 16-year-old pianist began piano lessons at age 5 and gave his first public recital in Nanjing three years later. In 2002 he made his concerto debut with the Xiamen Philharmonic Orchestra, performing Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 1.
Peng Peng was on the spring 2006 national TV broadcast of PBS’ “Live from Lincoln Center” as part of  Juilliard’s Celebrating 100 Years Gala in which he performed a movement of Rachmaninoff’s Second Piano Concerto with conductor John Williams. He has also performed under the baton of Leonard Slatkin and Itzhak Perlman, and with symphony orchstras throughout the United States.
In February 2007, Peng Peng performed Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1, which he will perform with the Bowdoin Festival Orchestra, with the San Francisco Symphony for its Chinese New Year celebration concert.

A three-continent ensemble of Bowdoin International Music Festival performers will open the concert with Tchaikovsky’s ever-popular string sextet, “Souvenir de Florence.” Korean violinist Dennis Kim, concertmaster of the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, will lead the group. He will be joined by the Seoul Philharmonic’s principal violist, Hung-Wei Huang; American cellists Andre Emelianoff and Amir Eldan; and two advanced students at the festival, violinist Justyna Jara and violist Ting-Ru Lai.

The concert will begin at 8 p.m. at Crooker Theater at Brunswick High School. Tickets are $35 for reserved seating. Call 725-3895 or e-mail info@bowdoinfestival.org.

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