PORTLAND — Portland Ovations will present Russian pianist Nikolai Lugansky on Saturday, March 26, at Merrill Auditorium.

Hailed as the next in the line of great Russian pianists, Lugansky has been a prize winner at the Tchaikovsky International, International Bach and All-Union Rachmaninoff competitions.

Lugansky frequently performs with esteemed ensembles such as the Tokyo and the Los Angeles philharmonics; the London, Cincinnati and San Francisco symphony orchestras; and the Royal Concertgebouw.

Possessing a soulful stage presence, the young pianist has more than 30 major concertos in his repertoire, ranging from Bach to Rachmaninoff. He has collaborated with major symphony orchestras in Russia, France, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands and the United States.

He has been awarded the title of Honoured Artist of Russia.

Besides his concert schedule, Lugansky has taught at the Moscow Conservatoire since 1998.

The program for the March 26 performance includes works by Frederic Chopin and Sergei Rachmainoff.

At 1:30 p.m., preceding the concert, pianist Laura Kargul will give a lecture/demonstration on how pianists make interpretive decisions. She will be joined by student pianists from University of Southern Maine’s School of Music. The lecture will be held in Merrill’s green room.

Tickets to the 3 p.m. concert are $34. They may be purchased by calling PortTix at 842-0800, visiting the box office at Merrill or logging on to www.portlandovations.org.