Department of Music to present pianist and soloist

Huntington, Ind.-The Huntington University Department of Music will present performances by 1996 alumnus Patrick Fata on Feb. 28 with a master class from 4 to 5:30 p.m. in the Longaker Recital Hall of the Merillat Centre for the Arts.

He then will perform a full piano concert on March 1 at 7:30 p.m. in the Zurcher Auditorium of the MCA.

Both of the events are free and open to the public.

Patrick Fata began his piano studies at the age of nine in Paris, France. He graduated from the Conservatoire national de region de Rueil-Malmaison and from the Conservatoire de Strasbourg with degrees in piano and solfege. Although he came to the United States to study medicine, he changed his focus to piano performance and studied with Dr. Patricia Spedden, professor of music at Huntington University.

As a representative of Huntington's admissions office, Fata performed extensively for service and religious organizations throughout the Midwest, including a tour of 15 high schools in Indiana, Michigan and Ohio. He has appeared as soloist with the Fort Wayne Philharmonic Orchestra and the Butler Symphony Orchestra, and has worked with many outstanding performers, including Jerome Rose, Mitchell Andrews, Jodie DiSalvo, Richard Glazier, Paul Barnes, Tamara Orlowsky and Santiago Rodriguez.

He is the winner of several competitions, including the Society of American Musicians Competition in Elmhurst, Ill., the Virginia Wolfram Rechtoris Memorial Piano Award of Indianapolis Musicale, the MTNA Indiana Collegiate Piano Competition and the Butler JCFA Concerto Competition. He holds a master's degree in piano performance from Butler University where he studied with Artist-in-Residence Panayis Lyras. While at Butler, he was chosen to receive the William and Helen Speicher Performance Scholarship, the Faculty Distinction Award for two consecutive years, and was inducted into the national music honor society, Pi Kappa Lambda. He has served as adjunct faculty of Taylor University's Music Department since 1999.

Fata and his wife, Amy, have performed and toured together as a full-time ministry team since 2001. They have released two recordings together, "We Worship You As Never Before" and "The Lord Will Provide," comprised of original inspirational music. In 2005, Fata also released "A Musical Offering," a CD of original classical hymn arrangements for solo piano.

For more information about the Fatas, log on to www.AmyandPatrickFata.com or e-mail praise@amyandpatrickfata.com.