World famous pianist Andrˆ© Laplante appears with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra

Winnipeg, MB - October 13, 2009 ’Äì The Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra (WSO) is proud to present world famous Canadian pianist, Andrˆ© Laplante, in two concerts this week.

Over the last decade, Canadian pianist Andrˆ© Laplante has firmly established himself as one of the great romantic virtuosos. He garnered international attention after winning prizes at the Geneva and Sydney International Piano Competitions, then capturing the silver medal at the International TchaˆØkovsky Competition in Moscow.

In 2006, Mr. Laplante was awarded the prestigious Opus Award for ’ÄúBest Performer of the Year’Äù. He was honored to be named an Officer of the Order of Canada. His performance of Jacques Hetu's Piano Concerto No. 2 for CBC Records won the 2004 Juno award for orchestral recordings, as well as the Western Canadian Music Award.

In February 2008, the world’Äôs leading classical music magazine Gramaphone voted Laplante’Äôs recording of Brahms’Äô Sonata No. 3 as its top pick among all currently available CDs of that work.

In recent years, Laplante has appeared as soloist with the Montrˆ©al and Chicago Symphony Orchestras, the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra at Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center, the Minnesota Orchestra conducted by Sir Neville Marriner, on tour in Europe with the Toronto Symphony under Andrew Davis and with the Royal Philharmonic under the baton of the late Sir Yehudi Menuhin during their extensive North American tour.

Mr. Laplante will be performing Beethoven’Äôs Piano Concerto No. 5 at the Centennial Concert Hall on October 16 at 8:00 pm in the Musically Speaking series. In addition, patrons are invited to explore the long-standing connection between music and royalty with composers Handel, Johann Strauss and Antonio Salieri.

Mr. Laplante will also be performing Beethoven’Äôs Piano Concerto No. 5 at the October 17 Masterworks concert at the Centennial Concert Hall at 8:00 pm; in addition patrons will be able to hear Brahms’Äô masterpiece: Symphony No. 4.