The 2018-2019 Hillman Performing Arts Series at Shady Side Academy continues with pianist Deanna Witkowski on Saturday, Dec. 8, at 7:30 p.m.

The show takes place in the Peter J. Kountz Black Box Theater inside the Hillman Center for Performing Arts, located on the Shady Side Academy Senior School campus, 423 Fox Chapel Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15238.

Tickets are $20 and can be purchased online or by phone at 412-968-3040.

In her Pittsburgh debut, the New York-based pianist/composer/arranger Deanna Witkowski will perform songs from her album Raindrop: Improvisations With Chopin, a solo piano session that seamlessly combines jazz, Chopin and the music of Brazil. Connecting jazz with other deep musical currents is what makes her such a visionary artist. A winner of the Great American Jazz Piano Competition, Witkowski has been heralded for her consistently thrilling playing and boundless imagination. In addition to Raindrop, her albums include the jazz quartet recordings From This Place, Length of Days and Wide Open Window; the liturgical jazz release From This Place; and the jazz trio recording Makes the Heart to Sing: Jazz Hymns. Learn more about Deanna Witkowski.

Witkowski is the fourth of seven shows in the 2018-2019 Hillman Performing Arts Series, which included four main stage shows in the Hillman Center's Richard E. Rauh Theater, and three black box shows in the intimate Peter J. Kountz Theater. Remaining shows include: Celtic music trio Poor Man's Gambit on March 9, 2019 (black box); magician The Amazing Max on March 16, 2019 (main stage); and zany jugglers The Flying Karamazov Brothers on April 13, 2019 (main stage).

The Hillman Center for Performing Arts, established in 2004, is one of Western Pennsylvania's newest cultural venues. Its flagship offering, the Hillman Performing Arts Series, presents programs of excellence that represent Pittsburgh's cultural traditions while celebrating global artistic innovation. In addition, the Hillman Center strives to foster an accessible environment for all patrons to explore and enjoy fine art. Special emphasis is placed on family-friendly programming.