The Performing Arts Center will present award-winning pianist Nobuyuki Tsujii at 8 p.m. Tuesday, March 19, in Hodgson Concert Hall in Athens.

Blind since birth, Tsujii captured the attention of the world when he won the Gold Medal at the 2009 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition.

A native of Japan, Tsujii has earned an international reputation for his live performances. He has played sold-out recitals in New York at Carnegie Hall, as well as in Berlin, Munich, Boston and Washington. A live DVD recording of his 2011 Carnegie Hall recital has recently been released and is distributed by Naxos in the U.S. and Euroarts in Europe.

He has appeared as a soloist with all the major Japanese orchestras, including NHK Symphony, Yomiuri Nippon Symphony, Tokyo Symphony, Japan Philharmonic and Orchestra Ensemble Kanazawa.

Nancy Riley, a graduate teaching assistant in music at UGA, will give a pre-concert lecture 45 minutes prior to the performance. It is free and open to the public.

Tsujii’s recital will feature works by Debussy and Chopin and will be recorded for broadcast on American Public Media’s Performance Today.

Tickets are $20-$34 with discounts for UGA students. They can be purchased online or by calling the box office at 706-542-4400 or toll free at 888-289-8497.