Photo courtesy of UAB
Yakov Kasman, a professor of piano in the UAB Department of Music
Welcome to another installment of UAB Briefs, in which we keep track of interesting people and events on campus.
Look for UAB Briefs at ironcity.ink on Fridays.
Know people, places and programs at UAB campus that deserve a mention? Email Iron City Ink at sydney@starnespublishing.com and jchambers@starnespublishing.com.
To Russia with Kasman
The Piano Concerto No. 2 by the legendary Russian composer Sergei Prokofiev is thought to be “one of the two or three most demanding pieces in piano repertoire,” says Yakov Kasman, a professor of piano in the UAB Department of Music.
In fact, Prokofiev biographer David Nice said in 2011 that, a decade before, he would have wagered “there were only a dozen pianists in the world who could play (the concerto) properly,” according to wikipedia.org.
But this huge challenge won’t stop Kasman from performing the piece on Oct, 7 with the Philharmonic Orchestra in Saratov.
For one thing, Kasman – a native of Russia – is a huge fan of Prokofiev, a composer and conductor who died in 1953.
“Prokofiev's music was always very special for me,” Kasman said this week. “He is one of the greatest geniuses of all times. He is one of my very favorite composers. His music is a big part of me. I play a lot of Prokofiev, I have recorded all nine of his piano sonatas, among other things.”
Kasman also has a deep affection for the Piano Concerto No. 2. While many pianists think it is among the toughest to play, Kasman said, it is also thought to be “the most beautiful, most profound and most inspired.”
Prokofiev famously dedicated the piece to a music-school friend who had committed suicide, and that “dedication… is very obvious in the music,” Kasman said. “It is very dark, profoundly sad and sorrowful. It even has an imitation of that shot in the last movement.”
Kasman also performed with the Saratov Philharmonic – which is marking its 70th anniversary -- in December 2015.
Saratov is “a very beautiful city,” Kasman said. Located about 500 miles from Moscow, Saratov is celebrated for its long musical traditions, including having one of the first three music conservatories in Russia.
Kasman is “so happy” to be going back there, he said, citing the “great orchestra (and) wonderful people.”
A native of Russia, Kasman made his American debut in 1997 as Silver Medalist in the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition.
He has also taken top prizes in competitions in Rome, London and Tel Aviv, recorded 15 albums and performed widely in Asia, Europe, North America, South America and the Middle East.
Understandably, the accomplished musician and teacher still misses some things about his homeland.
“I think the thing I miss the most about Russia is the language,” Kasman said. “I wish I can understand and express in English as much and as well as I can in Russian. Russian culture is also something I am missing – theaters, concerts, exhibitions. Also friends.”
But Kasman said he loves Birmingham and that his work at UAB is “very inspiring and very rewarding.
“I have an excellent piano studio, some really great students,” he said.
The few, the proud, the I-Corps
The National Science Foundation has included the University of Alabama at Birmingham as part of five new grants that will teach entrepreneurship and support research and innovation at regional hubs across the United States under its Innovation Corps (I-Corps) program.
UAB will receive $565,000 over the next five years in a sub-award through Georgia Institute of Technology’s established Southern hub, according to a news release.
“Our interdisciplinary approach to education is a perfect fit for the I-Corps program,” said Kathy Nugent, executive director of the Harbert Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at UAB. “This will truly be a university-wide effort — from the Center for Clinical and Translational Science to the School of Engineering and Collat School of Business.”
The innovation hubs provide the infrastructure and training to help researchers to transition basic science and engineering discoveries to the market.
The NSF created the I-Corps program in 2011. Since then, more than 800 teams in 44 states have completed the NSF curriculum.
More than 320 companies have been created, raising more than $83 million in follow-on funding.
Breast cancer awareness month
Breast cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer death in women, and the Breast Cancer Research Foundation of Alabama has raised nearly $6 million since its founding in 1996 to support research at the UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center.
During Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October, the BCRFA and other organizations are hosting numerous fundraisers in the Birmingham area.
Here is a partial list of those events:
- Altar’d State at Brookwood Village will donate 10 percent of its proceeds on Mondays during September and October to the BCRFA.
- The UAB Hospital Auxiliary Angel Squad is selling $10 Jim ‘N Nick’s gift cards, and Jim ‘N Nick’s will give 50 percent of these sales to the Angels. To buy gift cards, call 205-801-8266 or email uabangelsquad@gmail.com.
- Cahaba Brewing Goes Pink for BCRFA, selling pink and navy Cahaba Brewing T-shirts and a specially brewed Belgium cherry beer to raise money for BCRFA.
- Many Alabama fire stations will sell Pink Ribbon Project T-shirts for $15 and $20 to raise seed money to secure national research grants for the Comprehensive Cancer Center.
- All Brighton Collectibles location will donate proceeds from the sale of their breast cancer awareness jewelry to the Angel Squad. Brighton will also take orders for the jewelry in the North Pavilion Oct. 7 and 13.
- Oct. 3: Full Moon BBQ on Southside will donate 25 percent of all sales between 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. to BCRFA.
- Oct. 8: Uncorked! On the Green. Attendees at this event at Ross Bridge in Hoover will sample beers and wine and make donations to support BCRFA. Wine tasting is noon-2 p.m. and beer sampling from 2:30-5 p.m.
- Oct. 9: Pink Private Shopping Night, Belk at the Summit. This private shopping night, from 6:30 to 9 p.m., will be hosted by BCRFA and Belk. Tickets are $25 and include food and beverage, live entertainment, a fashion show and door prizes. Tickets are available for purchase online at pinkprivateshoppingnight.com or by calling BCRFA at 205-996-5463.
- Oct. 14: Pink Luncheon Benefiting BCRFA. For a minimum donation of $15 to the BCRFA, attendees will enjoy a buffet, fun and prizes at the MSE Building Co., 5500 Derby Drive. RSVP at 205-833-9010.
- Oct. 14: Jim ‘N Nick’s Angel Squad Breast Cancer Awareness Day. Angel Squad members will be present in Jim ‘N Nick’s restaurants throughout the Birmingham area (as well as Cullman and Montgomery) to promote breast cancer awareness and the importance of early detection with mammograms by distributing informational brochures and pink ribbons throughout the day.
- Oct. 20: Kendra Scott at the Summit will host a charity shopping event and donate 20 percent of its proceeds on rom 5-8 p.m. to the BCRFA.
- Oct. 20: The BCRFA Go Pink! T-shirt Sale, to be held the UAB Hospital North Pavilion from 11 a.m.-3 p.m., will raise money for research. Short-sleeved shirts are $15, and long-sleeved shirts are $20.
