James Nedresky to give Fields Gallery talk

Lawrence photographer James Nedresky will discuss his work in a gallery talk titled “Encountering the Kansas Tallgrass Prairie” from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday at Fields Gallery, 712 Mass.

Nedresky has photographed prairie images since 1994, when he moved to Kansas with his wife. Some of his clients have included The Nature Conservancy, Smithsonian Traveling Exhibits and the Kansas Department of Travel and Tourism.

The companion book to the PBS documentary film “Last Stand of the Tallgrass Prairie” featured more than 70 of his images.

The talk is the first in a series of discussions the gallery has organized so artists can share ideas and approaches to their work with the public in an informal setting.

For more information, call 842-7187.

KU student snags first in piano competition

Kansas University student Paulo Oliveira put the Kansas University music department on the map recently when he was awarded first prize for the collegiate level in the 23rd Bartok-Kabalevsky-Prokofiev International Piano Competition April 5 at Radford University, Radford, Va.

Oliveira was one of 70 pianists of all ages from around the world who competed in the competition, which draws talent from some of the most respected music institutions in the country, including the Juilliard School of Music in New York.

The event began in 1981 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Hungarian composer Bela Bartok’s birth; it later expanded to honor Russian composers Dmitri Kabalevsky and Sergei Prokofiev.

Oliveira is working on a master’s degree in piano performance and is a student of piano professor Sequeira Costa.