Bringing melodies he has performed around the world, Ralph Votapek returned to MSU Monday night to play piano for the university he still treats as home.
Votapek , professor emeritus of piano in the College of Music, performed in Fairchild Theatre . Votapek’s enthusiastic 90-minute performance drew a large crowd of students and community members.
After rubbing his hands along the piano bench to warm up, Votapek took in a deep breath before furiously running his fingers across the keys. The melodies effortlessly flowed from swift and powerful to slow and soft as he played each piece, all of them lasting at least 15 minutes.
His concert, entitled “A Few of My Favorite Things,” included a variety of pieces from composers Beethoven, Schumann, Brahms and Ravel. The pieces were originally composed anywhere from the 1800s to the mid-1900s.
Votapek acted as an artist-in-residence at MSU for 36 years and has performed on campus multiple times.
James Forger , the dean of the College of Music, said Votapek is a favorite for local audiences and students. He added that, as a former professor, Votapek’s numerous accomplishments encourage students to view him as a role model.
Haobing Zhu, a music performance sophomore , said she has watched every performance Votapek has given since she started attending MSU.
“He’s so dedicated and passionate, and as a student it’s easy to learn from him,” she said. “Even though he’s retired, he still comes to the university every morning to practice — that dedication is a model for our students.”
Forger said Votapek continues to give back to MSU even during his retirement, from performing with the orchestra to putting together musical recordings with College of Music faculty members.
Votapek was the first gold medalist in the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in 1962 . He later won the Naumburg Award , one of the oldest music awards in the world.
After retiring from MSU, he traveled around the world with various orchestras, including the New York and Los Angeles Philharmonics. He also performed as the Chicago Symphony’s guest soloist 16 times during his musical career.
His melodies have spread to performances in London, Taiwan, Russia, Japan and Korea, among other places across the globe.
“He has such a great musical insight and performs with a bravura technique,” Forger said. “He takes complete command over his instrument.”
Eugene Wilson, a music composition freshman, said he came to the concert to see different styles of music composition. While he had never seen Votapek perform before, he said he knew to expect good music.
"My secondary instrument is piano," he said. "Coming to a piano recital is relaxing. The music is always great, and it's just really nice to watch."
