This week's Third Thursday Concert will feature Italian pianist Cristian Pastorello.

Music is everywhere at Aurora University these days.  A new  music major has been developed, the choirs are performing more concerts, students are taking voice and instrument lessons and opportunities to hear music played by professional guest and faculty artists are presented every month through the Third Thursday Concert series. This week’s concert will feature Italian pianist Cristian Pastorello, Assistant Professor of Music at Aurora University. The free performance is open to the public and will take place at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, November 15, in Crimi Auditorium.

Pastorello, who began his piano studies at age 7 in Italy, has performed throughout the world as a soloist and chamber musician, including appearances at the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall and Steinway Hall in New York City. He has earned degrees in piano performance from The Conservatory of Padua, The Boston Conservatory and the University of Connecticut. During the Third Thursday Concert, he will perform works by Domenico Scarlatti, Ludwig van Beethoven, Claude Debussy and Frédéric Chopin.

The Third Thursday Concert series is designed to serve music majors and the entire campus community. The concerts include voice and instrumental performances by soloists and ensembles.  “The music faculty, as a group, chooses artists that reflect the program we are trying to build so that students are given great role models in performance,” said Lisa Fredenburgh, Chair of the Music Department. “We want performers to be excellent and entertaining for all audiences, so that Aurora University becomes a regional musical center and a resource for culture for the community.”

The music department also will be featuring its annual Christmas Concert of the Aurora University Choirs on Sunday, December 2, at 3:00 p.m. in Crimi Auditorium. For more information or to RSVP for music offerings, visit auartsandideas.com or email artsandideas@aurora.edu.