Jackson County music instructor to begin international piano tour

Dr. Alessandra Feris

Dr. Alessandra Feris, music instructor at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College's Jackson County Campus, will hold piano recitals this spring around the Gulf Coast, and in Mexico and Brazil. On March 24, she will perform at the Palacio de Bellas Artes, the premier performance hall in Mexico City. Later, in June, she will perform on tour and give piano master classes in the northeast of Brazil.

"I am excited about this tour, and especially about performing in Mexico City," Feris said. "The Palacio has hosted such great singers as Maria Callas, Plácido Domingo, Pavarotti and Jessye Norman, as well as top pianists and renowned chamber-music ensembles. Additionally, most of the world's great orchestras and dance companies have also performed there, so it is a real honor to be included in such company."

Feris said she will be able to perform at the Palacio because she is involved in a music festival. “I was invited to perform a recital at the XIV Encuentro Internacional-X Iberoamericano de Mujeres en el Arte, an important music festival that will happen in Mexico City March 21-28.”

Feris has studied in her native Brazil, and in Germany and the United States. She received a doctorate in piano performance at Florida State University in 2008, and has received top prizes in competitions at national and international levels, as well as prestigious scholarships and awards from several institutions. Feris has recently been a guest artist and teacher at The University of Southern Mississippi, James Madison University and Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil. She has performed widely in South America, Europe and the U.S.

“I am fortunate to teach in such a great environment as MGCCC. Working with wonderful, talented colleagues makes teaching more enjoyable and rewarding,” said Feris, who will begin her tour on March 2 at 7 p.m. at Gulf Coast’s Jefferson Davis Campus. She will perform at the Jackson County Campus on March 11 at 7:30 p.m. That performance will be an Alumni Association event, with all proceeds benefitting student scholarships. The Jackson County Campus Art Department will also participate in the event.

Other dates on her 2010 tour include the following:

• March 2, 7 p.m. – MGCCC Jefferson Davis Fine Arts Auditorium, Gulfport (free admission)
• March 9, 7:30 p.m. – Laidlaw Performing Arts Center at the University of South Alabama, Mobile (Admission $5 general and $3 for USA faculty, staff, students and all seniors)
• March 10, 1-3 p.m. – Master class at the University of South Alabama, Mobile
• March 11, 7:30 p.m. – MGCCC Jackson County Fine Arts Auditorium, Gautier (Admission $2 for students and $5 for adults. Tickets can be purchased at the door. All proceeds will benefit Jackson County Campus student scholarships.)
• March 24 – Piano recital at Palacio de Bellas Artes in Mexico City
• April 22, 7:30 p.m. – Voice and piano recital (with tenor Byron Johnson) at the Jackson County Campus Fine Arts Department, Gautier (free admission)