WT’s Third High Plains Piano Extravaganza Set for July 27

Copy by Chip Chandler, 806-651-2124, cchandler@wtamu.edu

CANYON, Texas — Eleven top area performers are tuning up for the third High Plains Piano Extravaganza.

The free concert is set to begin at 3 p.m. July 27 in the Sybil B. Harrington Fine Arts Complex Recital Hall on WT’s Canyon campus.

Several renowned musicians will join forces on one or more pianos to perform works from the likes of Frances Poulenc, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Scott Joplin, Thomas H. Kerr Jr., Carlos Guastavino, Ernesto Lecuona and Richard Rodney Bennet.

“This program should delight audiences thanks to our varied lineup of composers,” said Dr. Choong-ha Nam, professor in the School of Music in WT’s Sybil B. Harrington College of Fine Arts and Humanities. “The performers are especially excited because of the many opportunities the program offers us to collaborate.”

A silent auction will raise funds for the Amarillo Music Teachers Association teacher enrichment fund, which helps pay for Music Teachers National Association membership for new piano teachers. AMTA is a chapter of MTNA, the premier national music teachers association, which provides networking, continuing education and student opportunities for independent music teachers.

Funds also will support scholarships for junior high and high school students who wish to attend the WT Piano Camp, which launched this year. Campers have the chance to study solo and chamber music with WT faculty members and guest teachers, as well as performance opportunities.

The 11 performers, who’ll play in various configurations, at the Extravaganza will include Nam; Dr. Sarah Rushing, WT assistant professor of music; Stephen Simpson, WT administrative associate and piano teacher; and Denise Parr-Scanlin, retired WT professor of music. Performers also will include Amarillo Opera pianist Dr. Sunyong Hwang; First Baptist Church of Amarillo organist Dr. Sunghwan Kim; and area piano teachers Debra Wilcox, Adrianne Sage, Eileen Moss, Andreanna Hawbaker and Julia O’Dell.

Most of the pianists performing in the concert are actively teaching the next generation of this region’s musicians, Nam said.

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 campaign — which publicly launched in September 2021— has raised more than $125 million and will continue through 2025.

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.

—WT—