The University of Evansville’s Patricia H. Snyder Concert and Lecture Series will present world renowned pianist André Watts in concert on Tuesday, April 30, at 7:30 p.m., at the Victory Theatre in downtown Evansville. Watts will also be conducting a masterclass on Monday, April 29, from 1:00-4:00 p.m. in Wheeler Concert Hall on UE’s campus. Both events are free and open to the public.

Register for the event on the UE website.

Watts was only 16 when Leonard Bernstein chose him to make his debut with the New York Philharmonic in one of the orchestra’s Young People’s Concerts. It was broadcast nationwide. Two weeks later, Bernstein asked Watts to substitute for the ailing Glenn Gould in performances of Liszt’s E-flat Concerto with the New York Philharmonic. More than half a century later, Watts remains one of America’s most distinguished and celebrated performing artists.

Watts is a regular guest at major summer music festivals, and has appeared with the Philadelphia Orchestra, the New York and Los Angeles Philharmonics, and the St. Louis, Atlanta, Cincinnati, Dallas, Indianapolis, and Nashville symphonies, among others. International engagements have included concerto and recital appearances in Japan, Hong Kong, Germany, and Spain. Watts has appeared on programs produced by PBS, the BBC and the Arts and Entertainment Network. His 1976 New York recital for Live from Lincoln Center was the first full length recital broadcast in the history of television. His performance at the 38th Casals Festival in Puerto Rico was nominated for an Emmy Award in the category of Outstanding Individual Achievement in Cultural Programming.

Watts’s extensive discography includes recordings of works by Gershwin, Chopin, Liszt and Tchaikovsky; recital CD’s of works by Beethoven, Schubert, Liszt and Chopin; and recordings featuring the concertos of Liszt, MacDowell, Tchaikovsky, and Saint-Saens. He is included in the Great Pianists of the 20th Century series for Philips. In 2016, SONY Classical released André Watts – The Complete Columbia Album Collection.

Watts received a 2011 National Medal of Arts, given by the President of the United States to individuals who are deserving of special recognition for their outstanding contributions to the excellence, growth, support and availability of the arts in the United States. In June 2006, he was inducted into the Hollywood Bowl of Fame to celebrate the 50th anniversary of his debut. He is the recipient of the 1988 Avery Fisher Prize.

At age 26, Watts was the youngest person ever to receive an Honorary Doctorate from Yale University and has since received numerous honors from highly respected schools including the University of Pennsylvania, Brandeis University, The Juilliard School of Music and his alma mater, the Peabody Conservatory of Johns Hopkins University. Watts was appointed to the Jack I. and Dora B. Hamlin Endowed Chair in Music at the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University in 2004 and in 2017 was named a Distinguished Professor, the highest academic rank the university bestows upon its faculty.

The Patricia H. Snyder Concert and Lecture Series was made possible in 1997 through an endowment from the late Patricia H. Snyder, trustee and longtime friend of University, to bring speakers or performers of renown to Evansville at no cost to the public.

THURSDAY, APRIL 4 – Gen. Colin Powell

WHO: Gen. Colin Powell, USA (Ret.); Dr. Ronald S. Rochon, University of Southern Indiana president

WHAT: “Leadership: Taking Charge” – the 2019 Romain College of Business Innovative Speaker Series presentation. Powell will deliver remarks and then engage in a moderated conversation with Rochon.

WHEN: 6 p.m. Thursday, April 4. Doors will open at 4:30 p.m.

WHERE: Screaming Eagles Arena. A map of campus that includes Screaming Eagles Arena can be found at USI.edu/map. Additional overflow seating will be located in University Center East.

PARKING: Media are encouraged to park wherever they are able to find spots. Please park only in designated parking spots.

MEDIA CREDENTIALING: For all events held in the Screaming Eagles Arena, all members of the media are required to sign in and pick up a media access badge before entering the arena. Members of the media should access the arena and pick up credentials at the set of double doors located to the left of the main entrance and will call booth on the north end of the building (a tent currently marks this entrance). You do not need to wait in the general admission line or pass through the metal detectors to enter the building. Someone will meet you at the designated entrance, sign you in and issue your arena access badge.

MEDIA PLATFORM: There is a designated media area in the arena. All members of the media with video and still cameras on tripods should set up on the media platform located on the second level of the arena in Section 102. The media platform is located to the right of the entrance tunnel to Section 102. Elevators accessing the second floor are available if needed. If you would like access to other areas of the arena, please coordinate with a member of the University Communications team. It is important not to block entry/egress for guests, processionals, event staff and others in the arena.  During the event, media are asked to stay on the second level. Arena floor access on the main level is not permitted.

RECORDING: Due to contractual obligations, all still photography and both audio and video recording of Powell’s remarks must stop three (3) minutes following the beginning of his prepared presentation. USI officials will be on hand to keep track of time and advise credentialed media on when the recording should stop. Reporters are free to quote Powell in stories regarding the event, as well as freely record the event leading up to Powell’s remarks and following the conversation with Rochon.

FRIDAY, APRIL 5 – Inauguration

WHO: Ronald S. Rochon; Governor of Indiana Eric J. Holcomb; Mayor of the City of Evansville Lloyd Winnecke; USI Chairperson of the USI Board of Trustees W. Harold Calloway; USI President Emeritus H. Ray Hoops; USI President Emerita Linda L. M. Bennett; representatives from USI faculty, administration, alumni and student organizations; mentors, friends and family of Rochon.

WHAT: The official inauguration and investiture of Ronald S. Rochon as the fourth president of the University of Southern Indiana

WHEN: 10:30 a.m. Friday, April 5. Doors will open at 8:30 a.m. and guests are asked to be seated by 10:15 a.m. in order to ensure a punctual start to the ceremony.

WHERE: Screaming Eagles Arena. A map of campus that includes Screaming Eagles Arena can be found at USI.edu/map.

PARKING: Media parking is available in the reserved section of Lot C, Bay 4, immediately across Bennett Lane from the main entrance of Screaming Eagles Arena. Lot C can be located on the map (USI.edu/map) of campus by checking the “Parking” box in the Map Layers section of the website, located in the top left corner of the page.

MEDIA CREDENTIALING: For all events held in the Screaming Eagles Arena, all members of the media are required to sign in and pick up a media access badge before entering the arena. Members of the media should access the arena and pick up credentials at the set of double doors located to the left of the main entrance and will call booth on the north end of the building (a tent currently marks this entrance). You do not need to wait in the general admission line or pass through the metal detectors to enter the building. Someone will meet you at the designated entrance, sign you in and issue your arena access badge.

MEDIA PLATFORM: There is a designated media area in the arena. All members of the media with video and still cameras on tripods should set up on the media platform located on the second level of the arena in Section 102. The media platform is located to the right of the entrance tunnel to Section 102. Elevators accessing the second floor are available if needed. If you would like access to other areas of the arena, please coordinate with a member of the University Communications team. It is important not to block entry/egress for guests, processionals, event staff and others in the arena.  During the event, media are asked to stay on the second level. Arena floor access on the main level is not permitted.

MUSICAL PERFORMANCES: Prior to and during the ceremony, musical performances will be presented by the Tuskegee University Golden Voices Concert Choir, the USI Chamber Choir and the Evansville Brass Quintet.

MEDIA KIT: A full media kit, including headshots, biographies and credentialing information can be found on the USI website at USI.edu/inauguration. A full list of ceremony participants and information about academic traditions and regalia is also available on the website.