The gala concert presented on Sunday, Oct. 13, by the Foothills Music Club, will feature pianist Elizabeth Child as the grand finale.

Throughout her career, Child has been recognized as an artist of exceptional talent and maturity. Her recital debut at age ten, followed by a televised orchestral debut at age twelve, was an auspicious beginning for a pianist who would soon develop a unique combination of dramatic intensity and intimate communication. Her New York debut in Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall in 1984 was hailed by Will Crutchfield of The New York Times as one of the more enjoyable recitals of the season.

Her orchestral appearances include the Juilliard Orchestra at Lincoln Center with Stanislaw Skrowaczewski and the summer festival orchestras of Interlochen and Brevard Music Center. As the winner of the Twelfth Artists International Auditions, she was the featured soloist in a PBS television special entitled “How do you get to Carnegie Hall?”, an intimate portrait of a young artist preparing for her professional debut. A prize-winner in the New York Piano Teachers Congress and the Society of American Musicians competitions, Child has performed as soloist and chamber musician throughout the United States.

Child holds a doctorate from The Juilliard School, a master’s degree from the University of Michigan and a bachelor’s degree from Converse College, all in piano performance. She has called Tryon home since 2001, and currently serves as executive director of Tryon Fine Arts Center. Other positions include past-president of the Rotary Club of Tryon, executive director at St. Luke’s Hospital Foundation and director of development at Hospice of the Carolina Foothills.

The FMC 25th Anniversary Gala Concert will be on Sunday, Oct. 13, at 3 p.m. at the Tryon Fine Arts Center. Tickets are available from FMC members, as well as at TFAC 828-859-8322. In addition, 200 raffle tickets for a condominium stay near Charleston, S.C., are being sold. All proceeds from the Gala Concert and the raffle go to FMC’s Young Musicians Scholarship Program.

– article submitted by Ellen Harvey Zipf