The Santa Maria Philharmonic Society presents San Luis Obispo piano virtuoso Rudolf Budginas at the Clark Center for the Performing Arts in Arroyo Grande on April 30 at 8 p.m.

Hailed by the press as "A young, hip Victor Borge-like entertainer," the Lithuanian-born and internationally renowned concert pianist has delighted audiences worldwide and acquired a slew of international awards and honors.  Budginas returns to the Central Coast in April 2010 from an 82-city tour to conquer the hearts, minds, ears and funny bones of American music lovers.

Budginas' movie star-like personal charm, charisma and sense of humor allow him to consistently connect and interact with his audiences. Budginas, who tells humorous stories during performances about his childhood with a family of musicians, explains musical lines from Liszt's "Hungarian Rhapsody" and Johnny Cash's "Walk the Line and jazzes up hits like "Claire de Lune" and "Moonlight Sonata." 

The critically-acclaimed audience experience is both educational and entertaining, with interactivity rarely found in classical concerts.

Budginas (pronounced bud-guinness) was born into a family of musicians in Lithuania. He began his studies at age 4 and made his debut at age 9 with the Lithuanian National Symphony.  During and after his studies at the Moscow Conservatory, he rose to international prominence performing solo concerts throughout the world.  After moving to the U.S. in 1994, he discovered his true passion: giving classical music a broader audience appeal.  Transplanted to California after accepting a full scholarship at USC to complete a PhD in music, Rudolf settled in, took up surfing and developed a passion for expanding the accessibility of classical music to American audiences.
 
Budginas resides in the San Luis Obispo area and is a professor of music at Cuesta College and the Conductor of the Chamber Orchestra at Thomas Aquinas College.

Tickets for Rudolf Budginas are $35-$48 and are on sale now.  Call (805) 489-9444 for tickets or come to the Clark Center Box Office at 487 Fair Oaks Avenue, Arroyo Grande.  Clark Center Association members may receive a discount for shows presented by the Association.
 
For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.clarkcenter.org.