Irish pianist Barry Douglas to replace Murray Perahia on March 1

Barry Douglas

Pianist Murray Perahia has canceled his upcoming recitals, including a March 1 performance at the Lied Center for Performing Arts, for medical reasons. He will be replaced on the Lied schedule by Irish pianist Barry Douglas.

Tickets for Perahia will be honored for the Douglas concert at 4 p.m. March 1.

“The Lied Center always regrets the need to cancel a performance in our season,” said Ann Chang, the Lied’s artistic director. “In this case, we are disappointed Murray Perahia had to cancel his upcoming performances due to medical reasons and wish him a speedy recovery.”

Regarding his replacement, Chang said: “I am thrilled Barry Douglas, a highly intellectual and talented pianist, will make his Lied Center debut as part of the Lied’s 30th-anniversary season. Barry is an artist I’ve wanted to present for a long time to our discerning audience, and it’s truly a miracle his U.S. tour was going through our region at this precise time. His brilliant performances of Beethoven, Rachmaninoff and Schubert are sure to impress and thrill you — replacement or not.”

Douglas has built a major international career since winning the gold medal at the 1986 Tchaikovsky International Piano Competition, the first non-Russian pianist to do so since Van Cliburn in 1958. As artistic director of Camerata Ireland and the Clandeboye Festival, he continues to celebrate his Irish heritage while maintaining an international touring schedule. Queen Elizabeth II appointed Douglas to the Order of the British Empire in the 2002 New Year’s Honours List for services to music.

This concert also celebrates Chang’s retirement and contributions to the arts in Nebraska. Ticket holders are invited to celebrate with a post-show reception in the main lobby.

Anyone with questions about ticket orders can call the Lied’s ticket office at 402-472-4747. Tickets to Douglas start at $35 for adults and $17.50 for youth. To purchase tickets, click here, call the number above or visit the ticket office at 301 N. 12th St.