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WT Piano Recital to Offer Rare Opportunity for Music Lovers
Copy by Chip Chandler, 806-651-2124, cchandler@wtamu.edu
CANYON, Texas — An innovative Oct. 25 piano recital at West Texas A&M University will offer audiences the chance to enjoy a pair of little-heard compositions.
Pianists Richard Fountain and Derek Parsons will perform at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 25 in Mary Moody Northen Recital Hall on the Canyon campus. Admission is free.
The duo will perform Edward MacDowell’s Concerto No. 1 in A Minor, Opus 15 and Healey Willan’s Piano Concerto in C Minor—neither of which is at the top of mind when thinking of piano concertos, which adds to the appeal, said Dr. Choong-ha Nam, professor of music.
“Neither one of these pieces are performed much,” Nam said. “Willan is not a composer I was familiar with, and the MacDowell piece isn’t traditionally part of the classical canon. We’re excited to expose our students and audiences to work that isn’t often heard.”
MacDowell was a prominent composer in the 19th century and one of the first American composers to find an audience in Europe. Willan is a prolific 20th-century composer from Canada best known for sacred choral compositions.
Fountain is associate dean and professor of piano at Wayland Baptist University’s School of Creative Arts. He is dedicated to presenting American piano music from all eras; his solo album “American Ivory,” surveying American piano music of the 19th and 20th centuries, was released by Navona Records in 2021.
Parsons, a Canada native, is professor of piano at Furman University. His solo album, “Liszt: The Poet Inspired,” was released in 2015.
Fostering an appreciation of the arts is a key component of the University’s long-range plan, WT 125: From the Panhandle to the World.
That plan is fueled by the historic, $125 million One West comprehensive fundraising campaign. To date, the five-year campaign — which publicly launched in September 2021 — has raised more than $110 million.
About West Texas A&M University
WT is located in Canyon, Texas, on a 342-acre residential campus. Established in 1910, the University has been part of The Texas A&M University System since 1990. WT, a Hispanic Serving Institution since 2016, boasts an enrollment of about 10,000 and offers 59 undergraduate degree programs and more than 40 graduate degrees, including two doctoral degrees. The University is also home to the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum, the largest history museum in the state and the home of one of the Southwest’s finest art collections. The Buffaloes are a member of the NCAA Division II Lone Star Conference and offers 14 men’s and women’s athletics programs.
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