Las Vegas, Nev. – The UNLV Performing Arts Center welcomes Midori at 8 p.m. on Friday, October 23 as part of the Charles Vanda Master Series. Since her astonishing debut at age 11, she has staked her claim as one of the world’s leading violinists. She “makes artful use of her gifts, channeling the spirit of composers” (Los Angeles Times).

Midori was born in Osaka, Japan, in 1971 and began studying the violin with her mother, Setsu Goto, at a very early age. In 1982, when Zubin Mehta first heard her play, he was so impressed that he invited her to be a surprise guest soloist for the New York Philharmonic's traditional New Year's Eve concert, on which occasion she received a standing ovation and the impetus to begin a major career.

In the 2009-2010 season, Midori blends an ambitious international performance schedule with innovative community engagement initiatives, both at home and abroad. Her itinerary includes seven recital tours, including dates in Dublin, Budapest, San Francisco, Toronto, Baltimore and Tokyo; numerous concerto appearances with such partners as Sir Colin Davis and the LSO, Leonard Slatkin with the Detroit Symphony, and the Bayerischer Rundfunk with Mariss Jansons; her third all-new music tour; and an International Community Engagement Program in Mongolia.

Tickets to Midori are $40, $55, and $85 and can be purchased at the Performing Arts Center Box Office at 895-ARTS (2787) or by visiting pac.unlv.edu. Student rush tickets are $13 each and available one hour prior to each event, based on availability and with valid student I.D. UNLV faculty and staff discounts also are available. A $1.25 facilities fee, in addition to the ticket price, is charged on all Performing Arts Center tickets. The box office is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday. Information about all of the season’s performances can be found on the Performing Arts Center website, located at pac.unlv.edu.

Founded in 1976, the Performing Arts Center at UNLV continues to be Southern Nevada’s premier performing arts venue. Located on the north end of the UNLV campus, the PAC hosts a variety of performances each year in three distinct series – the Charles Vanda Master Series, the New York Stage & Beyond Series, and the UNLV Classical guitar Series. UNLV and KLVX Channel 10 are graciously sponsoring the season.

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UNLV is a doctoral-degree-granting institution of 28,000 students and 3,300 faculty and staff. Founded in 1957, the university offers more than 220 undergraduate, master's and doctoral degree programs. UNLV is located on a 332-acre campus in dynamic Southern Nevada and is classified in the category of Research Universities (high research activity) by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.