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| RICE ALUMNA PERFORMS ON TODAY SHOW Shepherd School Alum part of a fantasy gift Pianist and Rice alumna Lola Astanova '05 performed on the Today Show Oct. 18 to promote an exclusive concert that high-end retailer Neiman Marcus is offering as a fantasy gift in its legendary Christmas Book for $1.59 million. The purchaser will receive a Steinway concert grand piano and a private, all-Tchaikovsky concert by Astanova, Maestro Valery Gergiev and the Kirov Orchestra. The concert will be hosted by award-winning television talk show host Regis Philbin.
of this fantasy gift, as it simply would not be the same without them," said Misha Levintas, creator and executive producer of the event. "This concert can only be described as magical." While at Rice, Astanova was a student of Jon Kimura Parker and Robert Roux at the Shepherd School of Music. In May 2004, she made her major American debut at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington D.C. during the inaugural year of The Conservatory Project. Since her graduation from Rice, Astanova has worked to expand her repertoire, which presently includes some of the most virtuosic compositions of Rachmaninoff, Chopin and Liszt. She was added to the prestigious Steinway artist roster in 2006. The Steinway instrument featured in the Neiman Marcus fantasy gift is a Model D concert grand from Steinway and Sons' Concert & Artist Reserve. The piano will be customized to commemorate the momentous occasion by Forshey Piano Company, one of America's premier Steinway & Sons dealers. The superstar performers will sign the piano after the concert, turning it into a truly unparalleled collectable. The Neiman Marcus Christmas Book, first published in 1926, has evolved into a source for extraordinary and desirable holiday gifts, as well as an international symbol for quality and excellent taste. The famed catalogue is distributed to nearly 2 million homes, and is available online. |
