80th Birthday Celebration

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BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Ask legendary pianist Menahem Pressler what he has found
most rewarding in a career that spans nearly a half-century and he'll tell you,
without hesitation, it has to be his students.

The Indiana University Distinguished Professor of Music will turn 80 on Dec. 16,
a birthday he shares with Beethoven. Pressler clearly treasures the hundreds of
musicians who have studied with him, many of whom have gone on to achieve
international stardom themselves. "I love teaching and I love all of my
students," he said. "They have always been a very important part of my life."

Many of those students -- as well as fellow musicians, colleagues and friends --
plan to return the adoration at an 80th birthday celebration concert for
Pressler on Dec. 18 at 7 p.m. in Auer Hall at the IU School of Music. The
concert will feature performances by current and former students, selected to
represent the scope of Pressler's teaching career, which began at IU in 1955. It
will also include a few surprise guest speakers and performers.

Seating for the event is primarily by invitation. A very limited number of seats
will be available to the public the evening of the concert.

"I am very touched by this celebration," Pressler said. "It is a feeling that is
hard to describe. Is it love? Is it respect? I'm not sure. I do know that it
certainly has been a very beautiful time here at IU."

The celebration concert has been designed to focus on Pressler's "teaching and
wonderful relationship with his students," said Melinda Baird, coordinator of
the concert and one of Pressler's current doctoral students. Baird said she has
sent almost 300 letters to Pressler's former students, including those he taught
at master classes in California and Vermont. The response has been overwhelming
from those who are excited to return to Bloomington to honor their mentor, she
added.

Pressler is no stranger to honors, having established himself among the world's
most distinguished and celebrated musicians. In 1994, he received Chamber Music
America's Distinguished Service Award. In 1998, he was presented with the
Lifetime Achievement Award from Gramophone magazine in London. That same year,
he was given the German Critics "Ehrenurkunde" award in recognition of 40 years
of being the standard by which chamber music is measured. Pressler was inducted
into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2000.

Born in Magdeburg, Germany, Pressler began his association with the IU School of
Music in 1955. That same year, he co-founded the Beaux Arts Trio, which has
become one of the world's most enduring and widely acclaimed chamber music
ensembles. The trio performs more than 100 concerts and master classes each year
in the world's major music centers and has made over 50 recordings.
Additionally, Pressler has compiled over 30 solo recordings and performed with
many of the world's leading orchestras and chamber ensembles.

When not on tour with the Beaux Arts Trio, giving solo performances or teaching
master classes worldwide, Pressler can be found in his studio at IU, instructing
a new generation of students who have come to learn from the master.

"Keeping this pace takes a lot of energy," he readily admitted, "but I just try
to go along with whatever the years bring me. I enjoy each new year, each time
the seasons change and each time the students change. Even now, when I get a new
group of students, I feel reborn."

Indiana University Media Relations