The Middlebury Performing Arts Series will welcome acclaimed Jordanian Palestinian pianist Iyad Sughayer to the Mahaney Arts Center (MAC) on Friday, March 7. Sughayer embodies a captivating blend of exceptional skill and profound musicality; his performances traverse the gamut of classical repertoire with spellbinding precision and emotive depth, captivating audiences worldwide. His Vermont debut, a solo concert in the impeccable acoustics of the MAC’s Robison Hall, will feature Mozart’s “Adagio in B Minor,” “K.540;” Schubert’s “Drei Klavierstücke;” Sibelius’ “Six Impromptus;” and Aram Khachaturian’s “Piano Sonata.”

Professor Emeritus of Music Larry Hamberlin will introduce the evening’s music in a free pre-concert lecture at 6:15 p.m., in MAC Room 125.

About the Artist

Born in Amman, Jordan, Iyad Sughayer moved to the UK at age 14 to study at Chetham’s School of Music, the Royal Northern College of Music, and Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, where he won the College’s prestigious Gold Medal. He completed his International Artist Diploma at the RNCM in 2019, and in the same year became a City Music Foundation Artist. In 2021 he was made an Associate of the Royal Northern College of Music (ARNCM).

A prize winner with the Young Classical Artists Trust (YCAT) International Auditions, Sughayer was named a ClassicFM Rising Star Artist, and “One to Watch” by International Piano Magazine.

Sughayer made his South American debut in Bogota, Colombia in October 2024, and is currently midway through his first professional tour of North America. Previous seasons have included performances throughout the U.K. and Europe, including appearances as a concerto soloist with leading orchestras including the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, European Union Chamber Orchestra, and the Cairo and Amman Symphony Orchestras.

In 2022 Sughayer co-founded and launched the Mashrek Academy of Music with the Mashrek International School in Amman. The Academy welcomes students from across Jordan, discovering and nurturing a new generation of creators and musicians.

Performance Details

Iyad Sughayer will perform at the Mahaney Arts Center’s Olin C. Robison Concert Hall on Friday, March 7, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $25 for the general public, $20 for Middlebury faculty/staff and alumni, $10 for youth, and $5 for Middlebury College students (information on free and discounted ticket programs at go.middlebury.edu/freetickets.) There will be a free pre-concert talk at 6:15 p.m., downstairs in room 125.

For tickets or information, call (802) 443-MIDD (6433) or visit middlebury.edu/arts.