Students and Manhattan residents poured into McCain Auditorium on Thursday night to hear Simone Dinnerstein, classical pianist, perform various pieces of work by acclaimed classical music artists.

Originally from New York, Dinnerstein has played the works of Bach and many others all around the world. She has performed at a variety of venues, from Carnegie Hall in New York City to Tokyo. She has even performed at some non-traditional venues, including the Avoyelles Correctional Center, where she became the first person to give a classical music performance in a Louisiana state prison.

When asked, college students rarely say their favorite genre of music is classical, but Dinnerstein appeared to reach people of all ages on the piano.

The audience in attendance came for a variety of reasons. Some, like Nicole Martinez of Junction City, came for school requirements, while others, like Jesse Manning, former K-State student and Wamego resident, came strictly for pleasure.

"Our company was giving out free tickets and I love piano music," Manning said.

Gray Woods, of Manhattan, brought her young son to the show.

"We've heard a lot about Simone Dinnerstein and just wanted to come and see her play," Woods said. "My son just started taking piano lessons, so he's excited for the show too."

No matter the circumstances that brought them there, every person in the audience seemed mesmerized when Dinnerstein's fingers touched the ivory keys.

According to Todd Holmberg, executive director of McCain Auditorium, he booked Dinnerstein for this event because he was very impressed, not only by her talent, but also by how she got to where she is today.

"My No. 1 priority when booking someone is that they exhibit the highest artistic integrity," Holmberg said.

Dinnerstein was one of the most highly regarded modern classical pianists, but she didn't get there through being a child prodigy or winning a contest like many other contemporary artists.

"She self-financed her first recording of Bach's ‘Goldberg Variation,'" Holmberg said.

Since then, Dinnerstein has signed with Sony Classical. She released "Bach: A Strange Beauty" in early 2011.

"She is really hot in the classical music world right now," Holmberg said.

Dinnerstein opened her show in McCain with Chopin's "Nocturne in D-flat Major, Op. 27, No. 2." She also played pieces by Brahms and Felsenfeld. Following her first four pieces, there was a short intermission during which the artist herself came out and spoke about the piece she was going to open the second act with.

Dinnerstein began the second section of her performance with a piece called "Kinderszenen, Op. 15" by Robert Schumann. The title was translated into "Scenes from Childhood," and the piece was broken up into 13 parts.

"I first heard one of the parts in a film and wanted to learn how to play it. My teacher told me that if I wanted to play one part, I had to learn all 13," Dinnerstein said.

Dinnerstein finished her performance with "Partita No. 1 in B-flat Major" by Bach, for which she received a standing ovation.

A reception with free food and drinks followed the show in the lobby, where the reaction to Dinnerstein's performance seemed unanimously positive.

Letha and Stanley Glaum, Manhattan residents, were two of the show's satisfied attendants.

"It was wonderful," the couple said in unison.