Contact: 
Lois Robinson, Executive Director
(318) 222-7496

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 
 
SHREVEPORT SYMPHONY PRESENTS PIANIST SIMON KARAKULIDI, WIDEMAN INTERNATIONAL PIANO COMPETITION GOLD MEDALIST, ON MARCH 5

FEBRUARY 15, 2022, SHREVEPORT, LA - The Shreveport Symphony Orchestra (SSO) presents pianist Simon Karakulidi, the 2019 Wideman International Piano Competition gold medalist, on Saturday, March 5 at RiverView Theater. Other works on the Italy-focused program include Rossini's L’Italiana in Algieri and Mendelssohn's "Italian" Symphony.
Viva Italia!
Saturday, March 5, 2022 at 7:30 p.m.
RiverView Theater
Shreveport Symphony Orchestra
Michael Butterman, conductor
Simon Karakulidi, piano

ROSSINI Overture to L’Italiana in Algieri
BEETHOVEN Piano Concerto No. 3
MENDELSSOHN Symphony No. 4, “Italian”
Tickets are available online at shreveportsymphony.com or by phone at 318-227-8863. Prices range from $20-$63. Tickets for children 12 and under are $10; student tickets are $15.
 
The SSO's season sponsor is Willis-Knighton Health System. The concert sponsor is the Shreveport Symphony Guild.

The SSO will also present a free chamber music concert on Sunday, March 6 at 3 p.m. at Anderson Auditorium on the Centenary College campus, as part of the SSO's chamber series presented by The Noel Foundation, Inc. Pianist Simon Karakulidi and SSO wind players will perform Mozart's Quintet for Piano and Winds in E-flat, K. 452.

The SSO's top priority is the safety of its community, as well as patrons, musicians and staff. In light of current COVID risk levels, the Shreveport Symphony has instituted protocols for its upcoming performances:

  • Individuals must show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test result from a medical facility (including pharmacies) within 72 hours (3 days) of the scheduled concert for everyone aged 12 or older. 
  • The City of Shreveport currently mandates that masks be worn inside city buildings, therefore masks will be required at our concerts until further action by the City.
About Simon Karakulidi
Born in 1997 in Novorossiysk, Russia, Simon Karakulidi began his studies with Professor Mira Marchenko at Central Musical School in Moscow in 2013. Karakulidi is a prize-winner of the First Vladimir Krainev Piano Competition in Moscow (second prize and two special awards), and “Astana Piano Passion” piano competition (first prize). He participated in masterclasses with world-acclaimed musicians including Leon Fleisher, Arie Vardi, William Grant Nabore and Pavel Nercessian. In June 2018 he was awarded Enlight Prize at the Art of Piano Festival in Cincinnati, Ohio. In 2019 he was awarded the first prize from Ann & Charles Eisemann International Young Artists Competition and the Grand Prize of the Naftzger Competition. In the summer of 2019 he was a finalist in the competition at IKIF in NYC. He was also awarded the third prize at the Olga Kern International Piano Competition, a few weeks after he was a gold medalist at the Wideman International Piano Competition. Karakulidi studied with Stanislav Ioudenitch at Park University’s International Center for Music under a full scholarship.
About the Shreveport Symphony Orchestra 
Since its founding in 1948, the Shreveport Symphony Orchestra (SSO) has become Louisiana's oldest continually operating professional orchestra and one of the most respected regional orchestras in the United States. The SSO's mission is: To Embrace - to embrace the community we serve and to be embraced by the same community; to broaden the level of supporters and their involvement with the orchestra; to work across the region with various arts organizations through cooperation and partnerships. To Enlighten - to educate; to enlighten the senses beyond the norm. To Experience - to provide the unique aesthetic experiences of live orchestral music; to give depth and enriching life; to connect people through music; to foster cultural diversity. To Excel - to foster artistic, organizational, and financial excellence. shreveportsymphony.com  

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