During college's Fall Break, high school students will be on campus for "Piano Experience"

The SUNY Fredonia School of Music will hold the first annual “Piano Experience” on Saturday, September 26 in Mason Hall on the SUNY Fredonia campus. Fredonia’s piano faculty invites all young pianists to join them for an intensive day of master classes, concerts and workshops.

Open to all high school pianists, this is an opportunity to work one-on-one and in small groups with Fredonia’s artist piano faculty in a fun and supportive environment. Advanced middle school pianists may attend at the discretion of faculty members.

Registration is required by September 12; event details, schedule and registration forms are online: www.fredonia.edu/music/community/piano.asp. The cost for participants is $20 and includes lunch; piano teachers and parents may attend at no charge. Questions may be directed to Jennifer Darrell-Sterbak, 716-673-3686.

“This is an exciting day full of activities for young pianists,” said Phyllis East, emeritus professor of piano. “Students will work directly with our artist faculty, attend workshops and performances, play in piano ensemble, meet other young pianists, and more. A highlight of the day will be the piano master class in Rosch Recital Hall, open by audition to all participants.”

Anyone interested in attending may find complete details online at: www.fredonia.edu/music/community/piano.asp

Registration deadline is September 12.

Meet Fredonia’s Piano Faculty:

Sean Duggan
Assistant Professor; Coordinator of Keyboard Area; member of the Fredonia faculty since 2004. Former Visiting Assistant Professor, University of Michigan, 2001-4. Notable performances include 15-recital series (3 recitals per week for 5 weeks) of the complete keyboard works of J.S. Bach in New Orleans, New York City, Marseille, Salt Lake City, Bethlehem PA, Rome, Washington DC, and Ann Arbor MI - all in the year 2000. Total: 120 recitals. First-place winner, Johann Sebastian Bach International Competition for Pianists (Washington DC), 1983 and 1991. Each led to numerous recitals in Germany. Recordings on the Abbey and Polexa labels. Currently recording complete keyboard works of Bach for Blue Griffin Records (20 compact discs, scheduled for completion in Summer 2005). Concerto performances with New Orleans Philharmonic, Pennsylvania Sinfonia, American Chamber Orchestra Principal organist, St. Joseph Abbey (St. Benedict LA), 1985-2001. Radio broadcasts on National Public Radio, Vatican Radio (Rome, Italy).

Jonathan Mann
Assistant Professor at SUNY Fredonia since 2009 where he teaches applied piano and chamber music. Nominated for the 2008 Classical Fellowship Awards of the American Pianists Association, Dr. Jonathan Edward Mann enjoys a dynamic performing and teaching career that has taken him across the United States and Europe. Dr. Mann received his Bachelor's and Master's degrees in piano performance under Dr. Karen Shaw from Indiana University, Bloomington, where he was associate instructor and faculty member of the Young Pianist's Program. He earned his Doctorate in piano performance from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music where he served as teaching assistant to Professor James Tocco as well as a faculty member of the College-Conservatory's Preparatory Department. His penetrating interpretations have received high praise from critics. Recent recital venues include Vancouver, Seattle, Bellingham, WA, Portland, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Boise, Spokane, Louisville, Jacksonville, FL, and Greensboro, NC. Dr. Mann is also in demand as a collaborator, having recently performed with New York Philharmonic clarinetist Mark Nuccio and former Chicago Symphony tubist Gene Dowling. Orchestral engagements include the Brevard Orchestra, Indiana University Symphony Orchestra, North Manchester Symphony, and Fort Wayne Philharmonic. In 2010 he will record a solo disc of the music of Brazilian composer Radamés Ganttali for Centaur Records. Prior to his position at SUNY Fredonia, Mann was a faculty member at the University of Idaho's Lionel Hampton School of Music.

Mary Marden Cobb
Lecturer and member of the Fredonia faculty since 1998, teaching studio and class piano, piano literature. Degrees earned at Oberlin Conservatory (B.M.), Manhattan School of Music (M.M.) Piano studies with Peter Serkin, Seymour Lipkin, Joseph Schwartz. Numerous solo recitals in US, including Linnae Hall (Chautauqua, NY), St. Andrew Music Society series (NYC), and frequent performances for the American Landmark series (NYC). Chamber music with Arcadia Trio (1990-5); many duo recitals in New York City, including St. Bartholomew's Church, Bruno Walter Auditorium (Lincoln Center). Finalist in Artists International Competition. Member of Fredonia Trio with Cornelius Dufallo, violin; Nancy Anderson, cello. Maintained large private teaching studio in Manhattan (1982-98). Referred teacher for Manhattan School of Music (1978-98) and Steinway & Sons. Currently programs and performs in 20th Century Music Recitals featuring School of Music faculty.

Anne Kissel
Praised by the Boston Globe for her "subtlety and insight," pianist Anne Kissel is sought after as a chamber musician and song recitalist. Kissel is cofounder and artistic co-director of the Florestan Recital Project, a Boston-based organization devoted to art song repertoire in performance and education. A frequent performer of new music, Kissel has premiered works by composers such as Libby Larsen, Ned Rorem, and Daniel Pinkham and has been heard in Boston's Jordan Hall, live on Boston's WGBH, at the American Music Center in Boulder, Colorado, throughout the southern United States, and in Germany. She can be heard performing works of Daniel Pinkham on the Arsis label, and on the first volume of The Complete Songs of Daniel Pinkham, recently released by Florestan Records. Kissel received her Doctorate in Piano Accompanying and Chamber Music from the Eastman School of Music where she was honored with the C. Eschenbach Award and the Excellence in Accompanying Award. Under the auspices of a Fulbright Fellowship, she has studied at the Staatliche Hochschule für Musik in Stuttgart, Germany. As a solo pianist, Kissel received her Masters degree from Indiana University and her Bachelor of Music degree as a Foundation Fellow at the University of Georgia in her hometown of Athens. Her teachers have included Jean Barr, Randall Hodgkinson, Evelyne Brancart, André Marchand, and Richard Zimdars. Currently a Musical-Artist-in-Residence at Dickinson College with the Florestan Recital Project, Kissel has given master classes, lectures, and presentations on topics related to song repertoire and poetry. In addition to her piano students at SUNY Fredonia, Kissel also teaches music theory.

Phyllis East
Professor Emeritus; member of the Fredonia faculty since 1973. President's Award for Excellence in Teaching (1989). Degrees from Oberlin Conservatory (B.M.), SUNY-Fredonia (M.M.). Further studies at Mozarteum (Salzburg), Case-Western Reserve University (Cleveland), Marlboro Summer Music Festival (Vermont), Franz Schubert Institute for singers and pianists (Vienna). Major Teachers: Jack Radunsky, Emil Danenberg, Theodore Lettvin, Claudette Sorel Recordings: Schubert, Winterreise (The Mason/East Duo, with baritone Patrick Mason - Bridge Records); American Music for Euphonium & Piano (Mark Records). Performances with Buffalo Philharmonic, Erie Philharmonic, Fredonia Chamber Players in works of Saint-Säens, Messaien, Byron Adams (premiere performance), Ravel, Mozart, Gershwin, Poulenc, Bach, Flagello, Hindemith, Schumann. Chamber music: The East Trio (with clarinetist James East & cellist Alexander East); The Allegheny Trio clarinetist James East, violinist Margaret Cooper), Elkhorn Music Festival (Sun Valley, Idaho); frequent performances as accompanist and chamber musician.