Jesse Davis, pianist, will be featured in a Valentine's Day concert Thursday, Feb. 14, at noon in the Great Room at Weymouth Center.

The musical luncheon will feature works by Romantic composers: "Variations on a Theme of Paganini," by Johannes Brahms, "Scherzo No. 2 in B-flat," by Frederick Chopin, and "Valee d'Obermann," by Franz Liszt.

A North Carolina native, Davis regularly performs as a soloist with orchestras and gives numerous recitals in the United States and Europe.

He is the winner of the 2001 Vienna International Pianists Academy, the 1998 Greensboro Music Teachers Association, the 1995 NCSA A. J. Fletcher Competition, the 1995 Raleigh Symphony Concerto Competition, the 1995 N.C. MTNA Competition, and the 1993 Tar River Symphony Concerto Competition. He won third prize at the First International Piano Competition Sant'Agata Li Battiati, Italy and a semifinalist prize at the 2004 New Orleans International Piano Competition.

Davis has performed with major orchestras, including the Dnipropetrovsk Philharmonic Orchestra, Kiev Symphony, Berlin RIAS Youth Symphony, Craiova Orchestra de Opera of Romania, Raleigh Symphony, Fayetteville Symphony, Salisbury Symphony and televised "live" with Lugansk State Philharmonic Orchestra. He debuted with the Tar River Philharmonic at age 16 and has performed the Mozart Triple Piano Concerto with his wife, Leslie, and the Snyder Symphony.

A private student of Maestro Fabio Bidini, Davis received the International Certificate for Piano Artists 2003-2004 under instruction from Jerome Lowenthal, Boaz Sharon, Nelson Delle-Vigne, Philippe Entremont and Lazar Berman.

He earned a master's degree in music from Baylor and a bachelor's degree in music from UNCSA in 1999 as a student of Clifton Matthews. Earlier teachers were Dr. Charles Bath, of East Carolina University, and Daniel and Jayne Ericourt of UNCG.

Davis has performed in concert in many famous venues from Paris to Moscow, including Salle Cortot, Villa Betramka, Svetlanov Hall, and concert halls from San Jose to New York City, including Methodist University.

Currently, Davis teaches at Fayetteville State University and Snyder Music Academy. He is the artistic director and founder of the Fayetteville Piano Festival with Dr. Scott Marosek and Gabrielle Leporatti, an event held each January at Methodist University.

Davis currently resides in Fayetteville with his wife and two sons.

Reservations may be made by calling (910) 92-6261.

Admission is $20 per person.