Pianist Kirill Gerstein at Oregon Symphony Orchestra

Russian-born American pianist Kirill Gerstein returns to Portland for a performance of Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini with conductor Carlos Kalmar and the Oregon Symphony Orchestra on November 7 and 9 at 7:30 pm. A frequent performer of Rachmaninoff, Mr. Gerstein will be the featured soloist on a program that also includes works by Portland composer David Schiff (husband of Congregation Beth Israel cantor emeritus Judith Schiff) and Tchaikovsky.

Mr. Gerstein has proven to be one of today’s most intriguing and versatile musicians, with a masterful technique, discerning intelligence and a musical curiosity that has led him to explore repertoire spanning centuries and numerous styles. He is the recipient of the 2010 Gilmore Artist Award and received the First Prize at the 2001 Arthur Rubinstein Piano Competition in Tel Aviv.

During the 2015-16 season, Mr. Gerstein will perform Scriabin’s Prometheus: Poem of Fire with Ricardo Muti and the Chicago Symphony and Rachmaninoff’s Concerto No. 1 with the Cleveland Orchestra. He also returns to the Los Angeles Philharmonic, as well as the Cincinnati, Colorado, Dallas, Oregon, Toronto, and Utah symphonies, and the National Arts Centre Orchestra. He returns to 92nd Street Y in New York in the spring to perform a recital program that has a dual focus on the exploration of the fantasia and the conversation between the music of Central Europe and that of his Russian heritage with works by Beethoven, Liszt, Rachmaninoff, Mussorgsky, and Balakirev.

A significant highlight of recent seasons was the release of Mr. Gerstein’s first orchestral CD: an ECHO Klassik Award-winning world premiere recording of Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 in the composer’s own 1879 version of the score, and Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 2 with the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin led by James Gaffigan and released by Myrios Classics. Mr. Gerstein will perform this version of the concerto this season with the London Philharmonic, Iceland Symphony, and on a European tour with the Czech Philharmonic.

For tickets, visit  tickets.orsymphony.org