[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/di_wu.jpg” caption=”Pianist Di Wu will be performing at the Great Romantics Festival.”]

The golden age in music comes to McMaster this week with the 11th international Great Romantics Festival. This annual celebration of music has seen more than 100 performing artists, some of international distinction, come to Hamilton.

This year's festival will run from Thursday, Oct. 6 through to Saturday, Oct. 8.

Highlights of this year's festival include a performance by Chinese-born pianist Di Wu. Wu will give the main piano recital on Friday evening (Oct. 7) at 8 p.m. in Convocation Hall. She is the winner of the 2005 Hilton Head International Piano Competition. Emeritus professor of music Alan Walker, who founded the Great Romantics Festival in 1994 and who served on the jury at the Hilton Head International Piano Competition, said, “Di Wu is an extraordinary virtuoso with a brilliant future before her.”

The perennially popular “Piano Gala,” a regular feature of the festival will be held on Saturday, Oct. 8 at 2:30 p.m. at Centenary United Church. Explains Walker, “Eight concert pianists will participate in a program called “Tales from Old Vienna”. Each pianist will play a difficult concert paraphrase based on themes by Johann Strauss, arranged by Ignaz Friedman, Ernst Dohnanyi, Schulz-Eveler and others. The concert will be brought to a conclusion with a performance of Ravel's notoriously difficult “La Valse” played by Di Wu.”

The annual festival, presented by McMaster's School of the Arts, the City of Hamilton and The American Liszt Society, will conclude on Saturday with the traditional Candlelight Banquet in the Webster Room of the Hamilton Convention Centre.

Concerts will be held at Christ's Church Cathedral, the Great Hall at Hamilton Place and Centenary United Church as well as Convocation Hall. Admission is free to festival events for students, while for others, the registration fee of $125 gives admission to most performances. Tickets are also available at the door.

For further information, including program and registration information, visit www.artset.net/greatromantics.html or phone the festival box office at ext. 23674.