University Of Mobile: Virtuoso Pianists To Perform 'Pictures At An Exhibition' For Alabama School Of The Arts Piano Festival VI

Mobile AL

31 August, 2022

11:25 PM

Description

Press release from the University of Mobile: August 30, 2022 MOBILE, Ala. – A suite of 10 piano pieces known as a showpiece for virtuoso pianists, "Pictures at an Exhibition," will be performed by the University of Mobile faculty to open the 6th annual Alabama School of the Arts Piano Festival. The free concert set for Thursday, Sept. 15, features duets by Steinway Artist Dr. Kadisha Onalbayeva, director of piano studies and professor of music, and Greg Wiggins, instructor of music. Dr. Charlotte Hester, associate professor of music education, will discuss the 1874 suite that is the most famous piano composition by Russian composer Modest Mussorgsky. The suite musically illustrates the paintings and watercolors of the composer's close friend, the architect and painter Victor Hartmann. The concert begins at 7 p.m. in the newly renovated Moorer Auditorium in Thomas T. Martin Hall on the University of Mobile campus. The campus is located off I-65 Exit 13 at 5735 College Pkwy., Mobile, Alabama, 36613. The concert and lecture will be live streamed at https://fb.me/e/3AhBucFdG. The Alabama School of the Arts (ASOTA) Piano Festival is a year-long series of master classes and workshops, recitals by guest artists and faculty, and special performances by university students and Elite 88, UM's piano ensemble. It was started by UM's Steinway Artist and Director of Piano Studies Dr. Kadisha Onalbayeva. Along with retired music professor Becky Fox, Onalbayeva was instrumental in leading the university to gain the prestigious status of All-Steinway School. "The annual Piano Festival combines educational and performance variety, not just for pianists, but also for other instrumentalists and vocalists. Our students who study composition have performances of their original works. This year, we have workshops and master classes with international artists and educators from Kazakhstan, Belgium, Costa Rica and other countries," said Onalbayeva. All Piano Festival events are free and open to the public and are held on campus in Moorer Auditorium. The full schedule is below and can be found on the university calendar at umobile.edu/calendar, or call the Alabama School of the Arts at 251.442.2383. The piano suite "Pictures at an Exhibition" represents a melding of Russian painting, music and culture, and also is a musical memorial to the common goals and friendship between composer Mussorgksy and architect/painter Hartmann, said Dr. Charlotte Hester, who will discuss the work prior to its performance. This press release was produced by the University of Mobile. The views expressed here are the author's own.