JOPLIN, MO (SNS) - Robert Henry, age 28 of Greenbelt, Maryland, USA, was awarded first prize in the Senior Division of the Ninth Missouri Southern International Piano Competition held April 23-27 on the campus of Missouri Southern State College in Joplin, Mo.

Henry received a $10,000 cash award plus a New York debut in Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall scheduled for October 7, 2002.

Robert Henry is an internationally distinguished pianist whose performances have been recognized as technically brilliant, musically sophisticated, and full of personality. In the 2001-2002 season, Robert Henry won first place in four international piano competitions, the most recent of which was the inaugural 2002 Atlanta International Piano Competition, where he received an unexpected engagement with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra in 2004. He took first place in the 2002 Missouri Southern IPC, receiving a Carnegie Recital Hall debut. He also won first prize in both the 2002 Washington IPC and the 2001 New Orleans IPC. He is a prizewinner of many other competitions, including the 2001 Cleveland IPC.

Since presenting his first solo recital at the age of 13, Mr. Henry has been heard at many universities, conventions, recital series, and on several NPR broadcasts. He made his orchestral debut at the age of 17, performing Prokofiev's Third Concerto to critical acclaim, and he has performed with several orchestras throughout the Southeast. Henry has upcoming solo performances at the Kennedy Center, Washington, D.C., Georgia, South Carolina, Indiana and Denmark, as well as orchestral engagements with Atlanta Symphony, Louisiana Philharmonic, Acadiana Symphony, Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, and the FMM C Orchestra in the upcoming season.

Robert Henry has studied with some of the world’ greatest teachers and performers, including Andre Watts, Leslie Howard, Sergei Babayan, Sergey Dorensky, Lorin Hollander, Constance Carroll and Raymond Hanson.

He holds a B.M. degree from Kennesaw State University under David Watkins, and he continued his studies with Anne Koscielny at the University of Maryland, where last spring he earned his M.M. degree. Currently, he is pursuing the DMA at Maryland as a student of Larissa Dedova. Robert Henry is a 28-year-old native of Marietta, Georgia and maintains his web-presence at http://www.roberthenry.org.

Li Wang (left), age 28 of Toronto, Canada, originally of Beijing, China, won second prize and a $5,000 award and Young-Ah Tak (right), age 22 of Pusan, Korea, was awarded third prize and a $3,000 award.

Two honorable mention prizes of $2,000 each went to Ran Dank (left), age 20 of Herzelia, Israel, and Oxana Mikhailoff (right), age 30 of Vladimir, Russia.

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