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CORVALLIS - The Oregon State University Piano Masters Series will present a performance called "Ballades from the Golden Age of the Piano" by Jacques Després, an internationally celebrated concert pianist.

The concert is begins at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 15, at the Congregational Church, 4515 S.W. West Hills Rd. in Corvallis.

Performing on the church's Boedtker Steinway piano, Despres will offer an evening of ballades by Brahms, Debussy, and Chopin, with one by contemporary Canadian composer Jacques Hétu.

Rachelle McCabe, director of piano activities at OSU, said the concert will be a "virtuoso program."

"These highly Romantic pieces are all called ballades, yet they are so different from each other," McCabe said. "They are exciting and delightful, and represent the Golden Age of the piano."

Després holds degrees from the Juilliard School, State University of New York-Stony Brook, and Indiana University. Among the many awards he has received is a unanimous first prize from the Conservatory of Quebec.

Since his 1978 debut with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, he has appeared as soloist with many orchestras under major conductors, performed at North American summer festivals, and recorded for the Eroica, VDE/Gallo, Naxos, and Arktos labels. His recitals have aired on CBC radio.

A lecture-performance artist on both period and modern instruments, Despres was invited to speak on the Chopin ballades at the Juilliard School and has lectured on the early sonatas of Beethoven and Bartók's "Mikrokosmos."

Admission is free, though donations to support the OSU Piano Activities Fund are encouraged. In addition to Saturday's concert, a master class that begins at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 16, in Benton Hall is free and open to the public.

For more information, call 541-737-4061.