Featured Photo: Master pianist Dr. Kevin Ayesh poses at a piano at Blue Ridge Community College in Flat Rock. (Photo by: Rich Keen.)
Marketing & Communications Dept.
The Blue Ridge Community College Piano Concert Series will celebrate its 30th season on Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2026, with a performance by master pianist Dr. Kevin Ayesh, artistic director and founder of the longstanding series.
The concert begins at 7 p.m. in the Bo Thomas Auditorium in the Sink Building on the College’s Henderson County Campus. Tickets are $10 for general admission, $5 for students, and they are available at the door.
Ayesh, who served as Blue Ridge Community College’s lead music instructor from 1992 until 2021, currently serves as adjunct professor of piano at Spartanburg Methodist College in South Carolina. He has concertized extensively throughout the United States and abroad, performing in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia, as well as internationally in Europe, Canada, and Asia.
His program will feature a sonata by Ludwig van Beethoven, Aaron Copland’s Four Piano Blues, and selections by Frédéric Chopin, including the ever-popular Heroic Polonaise.
“I am honored to open the 30th season of this concert series and to continue a tradition that has brought outstanding piano performances to our community for three decades,” said Ayesh. “I look forward to sharing this program with longtime patrons and welcoming those who may be discovering the series for the first time.”
For 30 years, Blue Ridge Community College has sponsored the Piano Concert Series, bringing accomplished pianists to the region for performances in the College’s Bo Thomas Auditorium. Additional performances for the 2026–2027 season will be announced in the months to come.
“We are proud to celebrate 30 years of presenting exceptional piano performances to our community,” said Benjamin Rickert, Blue Ridge’s executive director of marketing and communications. “The longevity of this series speaks to the quality of the artists who have performed here and to the community’s appreciation for meaningful cultural experiences. We’re especially pleased to mark this milestone with Dr. Ayesh, whose leadership and artistry have been central to the series since its beginning.”
The Bo Thomas Auditorium is located in the Sink Building on Blue Ridge Community College’s Henderson County Campus, 130 Eagles Reach Drive, Flat Rock. The elegant performance hall seats just over 400, and concert seating is non-reserved.
Proceeds from the Piano Concert Series benefit the College’s Personal Enrichment Program.
For more information, community members may visit www.blueridge.edu/concert-series, or contact Paula Wynn at 828-694-1742 or pe_wynn@blueridge.edu.
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