By VICTORIA BRADLEY
Not too long ago, David Glen Hatch was playing piano recitals in Madsen Recital Hall here at BYU. This July, the BYU graduate has been invited to play at the Mariinsky Palace in Ukraine.
Hatch received the invitation from Vladimir Sirenko, conductor of the world-renowned National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine.
The startling phone call from Sirenko came after the conductor learned of Hatch’s plans for a Ukrainian tour this summer. He quickly asked Hatch to perform July 11 as the only American playing among Ukraine’s best musicians.
“I was surprised and absolutely overwhelmed to think that Vladimir Sirenko went out of his way to invite me to perform on such a prestigious program,” Hatch said in a press release.
Hatch, who has been nominated for three Grammy awards, in addition to receiving the Master Teaching Certificate from the Music Teacher’s Association in 1994 deserved this prominent invitation. His 19 recordings have received such acclaim that he has been invited to tour all over the world. He has also received “Best Album- Instrumentalist Award” from the LDS Booksellers Association and the “Bronze Trumpet Award” from Covenant Communications for selling over 100,000 copies of his albums.
Hatch also has had performances aired on Mational Public Radio as well as PBS and the BBC. He has also recently served as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Gina Bachauer International Piano Foundation.
“He’s amazing,” said Melissa Stockdale, a representative for Covenant Communications. “His sound is so full and energetic. He’s definitely not elevator music.”
Commentators from all over the globe have remarked about his performing.
“David plays with tremendous warmth and passion,” said Robert Schuller from the Crystal Cathedral’s “Hour of Power,” an internationally televised Sunday broadcast.
The music festival at the Mariinsky Palace will be held in honor of the 100-year anniversary of the birth of Vladimir Horowitz, a Russian pianist who has earned respect as one of the greatest pianists of this century.
Hatch graduated from BYU in 1978 and has been back several times to perform or guest teach for piano workshops and classes.
He scheduled his Ukrainian tour from July 9 to July 25. In addition to his Mariinky Palace performance, as well as a variety of music halls throughout the country, Hatch has been invited to host master classes at the Music Conservatories in Kiev, Lviv, Donetsk and Simferopol. There he will work with students in front of a live audience. His current students have participated and won prizes in local, state, national and international piano competitions. His students have also gone on to perform in master classes of their own.
Hatch will also be playing in two musical LDS firesides for the missions in Kiev and Donetsk.
