Classical Pianist Jorge Luis Prats Headlines Annual Sarcoma Research Fundraiser

Private Concert Benefits Nova Southeastern University’s Sarcoma Research Fund

Giselle Brodsky, co-founder, The International Piano Festival in Miami; NSU President Dr. George Hanbury; Janina Brandt; Jorge Luis Prats, pianist from The International Piano Festival in Miami; and Dr. H. Thomas Temple

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

FORT LAUDERDALE-DAVIE, Fla. – An intimate group of philanthropists, health care and community leaders and classical music enthusiasts gathered together on the evening of Saturday, Jan. 23, 2016 at the Adolfo & Marisela Cotilla Gallery in Nova Southeastern University’s (NSU) Alvin Sherman Library for a private performance by the great Cuban piano virtuoso Jorge Luis Prats.

The second annual concert raised donations for NSU’s Sarcoma Research Fund. The fundraiser was hosted by H. Thomas Temple, M.D., senior vice president of translational research and economic development for the university. In addition to his role at NSU, Dr. Temple is an orthopedic oncology surgeon at several HCA East Florida hospitals, including Mercy Hospital and Aventura Hospital, which helps explain his passion for sarcoma research.

“This is a great opportunity for me to bridge two of my passions – my love of classical piano and my goal of finding novel and less toxic therapies for patients facing sarcomas and other types of cancer,” said Dr. Temple. “Seeing the community come together to help us fund this much-needed research is both humbling and exciting.”

As an example of his research in this area, Dr. Temple is currently collaborating with Richard Jove, Ph.D., director of the NSU Cell Therapy Institute, on a research project using stem cells that focuses on blocking cancer cells from surviving and could enhance the regeneration of damaged normal tissue.

In addition to this private concert with Prats, Dr. Temple is hosting a second piano concert fundraiser for NSU’s Sarcoma Research Fund on Friday, April 29, 2016 at NSU’s Rose and Alfred Miniaci Performing Arts Center. To purchase seats or sponsorships, please contact Lacey Craddock at 954-262-7603 or lcraddock@nova.edu.

Prats was born in Camaguey in Cuba in 1956, studying with Cesar Perez Sentenar, Barbara Diaz Alea, Margot Rojas and Alfredo Diez at National School of Arts. Upon graduation, he was awarded a scholarship to the Tchaikovsky Conservatory of Moscow where he studied with Rudolf Kerer and he continued his studies at Conservatoire de Paris and later at the Hochschüle für Müsik und Künstler in Vienna with Paul Badura Skoda and Magda Tagliaferro. At the age of 21, Prats won the first prize at the prestigious Concours Marguerite Long – Jacques Thibaud in Paris as well as the special award of best interpretation of works by Ravel and Jolivet.

Prats discography includes the first recording ever of Scriabin’s 24 Preludes, concerti by Beethoven, Grieg, Rachmaninov and Chopin as well as works by Cuban composers. His concert at Broward Center for the Performing Arts for the Miami’s International Piano Festival was recorded and released on DVD by VAI.

Prats has recently signed an exclusive recording contract with Decca and released his first recording with them, Goyescas by Granados, in June 2011.

Prats has been the grateful recipient of support from Patrons of Exceptional Artists since 2006.

Since May 2007, when Jorge Luis Prats gave his first recital at the Miami International Piano Festival, his career has undergone a dramatic ascent. His debut recitals at the prestigious “Meister Pianisten” series at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam having been received with standing ovations. In 2010, he returned to the same series for the third time, an honor uniquely reserved for Alfred Brendel and Grigory Sokolov previously.

In May 2010, Prats replaced Nelson Freire at his Salle Pleyel recital, to a tremendously enthusiastic response from the public. In September of the same year he again triumphed at the festival “Piano aux Jacobins” in Toulouse. Following these successes, he was invited by the organizers of several prestigious French series to perform in fall of 2011 at the Grand Interpretes in Lyon, at the Grand Theatre de Aix en Provence, a re-invitation from the Piano 4 Etoiles series at Salle Pleyel and to perform Rachmaninov with the Orchestre de Paris under Paavo Järvi.

Prats has toured Europe, Latin America, China, Japan and Korea and has played with Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in London, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Dallas Symphony and other world-renowned orchestras. He has performed with the Mexico City Orchestra, the Ofunam Orchestra and the Jalapa Orchestra in Mexico and the Columbia Philharmonic, Simon Bolivar Symphony Orchestra and Caracas Municipal Orchestra in South America.

Regularly invited as professor by respected institutions such as National University of Columbia in Bogota, National School of the Arts in Havana, the Arts Centre in Mexico, the Conservatory of Cordoba in Spain and Royal Conservatory in Toronto, he was also the artistic director of National Orchestra of Cuba from 1985 to 2002.

Event sponsors included David and Alejandra Cohen; Dr. H. Thomas Temple and Christina Traurig; Dr. Richard Jove; Lou Barnes; Sarah Cannon Research Institute; HCA East Florida; Vivex Biomedical, Inc.; The International Piano Festival in Miami; Steinway Piano Gallery Boca Raton. Silent auction/drawing supporters included Busch Gardens; Fury Water Adventures Key West; Cycle Party Fort Lauderdale; Total Wine & More; Contour Day Spa; and Dr. Cecilia F. Rokusek.

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About Nova Southeastern University (NSU): Located in beautiful Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Nova Southeastern University (NSU) is a dynamic research institution dedicated to providing high-quality educational programs at the undergraduate, graduate, and first-professional degree levels. A private, not-for-profit institution with more than 24,000 students, NSU has campuses in Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Jacksonville, Miami, Miramar, Orlando, Palm Beach, and Tampa, Florida, as well as San Juan, Puerto Rico, while maintaining a presence online globally. For more than 50 years, NSU has been awarding degrees in a wide range of fields, while fostering groundbreaking research and an impactful commitment to community. Classified as a research university with “high research activity” by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, NSU is 1 of only 37 universities nationwide to also be awarded Carnegie’s Community Engagement Classification, and is also the largest private, not-for-profit institution in the United States that meets the U.S. Department of Education’s criteria as a Hispanic-serving Institution. Please visit www.nova.edu for more information.

Contact information:

Jeremy Katzman, M.B.A., APR | Office of Public Affairs
954-262-5408 (office)
954-661-7000 (cell)
j.katzman@nova.edu