Oct. 21, 2009

Faculty members to kick off five-concert piano recital series at Morningside

James and Kathryn March, music faculty members at Morningside College, will kick off a five-concert piano recital series at Morningside by performing music for two pianos at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 27, in Eppley Auditorium, 3625 Garretson Ave.

The recital is free and open to the public.

“One of the exciting things about attending a recital for two pianos is listening to the sheer sonority that can be generated by the two instruments on stage,” James March said. “When writing for two pianos, composers often created dialogues between the two instruments, and the music frequently seems like a lively conversation between the two players. There is variety and brilliance just not possible with only one piano.”

The program includes “Trio Sonata in E-flat” by J.S. Bach, “The Sonata for Two Pianos” by Francis Poulenc, “Two Tangos” by Astor Piazzolla, and “Variations on a Theme by Haydn” by Johannes Brahms.

Both James and Kathryn March have held positions in the Morningside College Music Department since 1986. They each hold Master of Fine Arts and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees from the University of Iowa. The March Duo has been broadcast on National Public Radio, and it has toured under the auspices of the South Carolina, South Dakota and Iowa arts councils.

Musicians who will perform at later recitals in the series include Denis Evstuhin, winner of the 2009 Iowa Piano Competition in Sioux City; the Studzinski Trio from the Eastman School of Music, which includes Heelan High School graduate Stephanie March on the cello; Robert Marshall Auler, an award-winning American concert pianist; and Feilin Lin, who will make her solo piano debut at Carnegie Hall this May.

This series is a great opportunity to be introduced to classical music, according to James March, because it will feature a variety of music, and because musicians will explain each piece of music before it is performed.