UT Dallas will host musicians and dancers from across the globe this weekend. The School of Arts and Humanities has scheduled events that include both classical piano and Peking Opera.

Nima Sarkechik

Nima Sarkechik will perform Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No. 30 and other pieces Saturday night.

On Saturday, April 13 at 7:30 p.m., French-Iranian pianist Nima Sarkechik will give a concert featuring an eclectic mix of music. The bill includes an array of pieces, ranging from Beethoven’s Sonata No. 30 in E major to an “Iranian improvisation.” The concert will be in the Jonsson Performance Hall.

At 30 years old, the French-Iranian pianist has established himself as an internationally recognized talent.

Sarkechik made his debut during the 2005-2006 season at the International Piano Festival of La Roque d’Antheron in Paris. He later performed recitals in many French festivals and at other venues in Europe. Sarkechik’s first recording, which was released in 2008, was dedicated to Chopin and Hughes Dufourt.

This concert is in collaboration with the General Delegation of the French Alliance in the U.S., and is supported by the French House and the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C. The show is also sponsored by Safran USA in partnership with Alliance Française de Dallas and UT Dallas.

Chinese Music image

The Confucius Institute will present an afternoon of Chinese dance and opera on Sunday.

The concert is free to UT Dallas students with a Comet Card at the door the night of the event. General admission is $20. Tickets for Alliance Française members, UT Dallas faculty and staff, AF students and Safran USA staff are $15. Tickets are $5 for students from other universities and children under 12.

RSVP with Beatrice Recoussine at admin@afdallas.org or call (972) 733-0844 or (214) 234-0165 to order tickets. 

On Sunday, April 14, at 2:30 p.m., the Confucius Institute at UT Dallas will present an afternoon of Chinese music and dance by a performing troupe of 16 students from Southeast University.

The program features ancient and modern Chinese music and songs, a variety of traditional Chinese musical instruments, traditional Chinese dance and Peking Opera. The performance, titled, “Harmonious Wind of Chinese Music and Dance,” is meant to emulate a springtime outing full of wind, rain, thunder and the twittering of birds.

The performance will be in the Alexander Clark Center and is free and open to the public. For more information, visit the Confucius Institute website.