Chamber Series Presents Pianist John Salmon
Published 3:36 pm Tuesday, January 29, 2013
The renowned pianist John Salmon, of Greensboro, North Carolina, will present a free concert at Longwood University on the afternoon of Sunday, February 3. The program, part of the university's Chamber Music Series, will take place in Jarman Theatre at 3 p.m., with doors open at 2:40 p.m. The concert is presented in honor of Frieda E. Myers, pianist and former member of the LU music faculty.
Although Wygal Hall is the usual venue for concerts in the LU Chamber Music Series, this event will be presented in Jarman Theatre in order to feature the university's new Steinway Model D Concert Grand Piano, purchased a year ago and housed in Jarman Hall.
The program will focus on the music of two groundbreaking composers from different eras: J.S. Bach and Dave Brubeck. Salmon will begin with a set of Preludes and Fugues from The Well-Tempered Clavier, and follow those with his own adaptations of four of the Inventions for Keyboard.
The second portion of the concert will begin with Brubeck's Glances, a neo-classical suite in four movements. Salmon will conclude the afternoon with improvisations on three of Brubeck's jazz compositions.
John Salmon has distinguished himself on both sides of the Atlantic as a both a classical and jazz artist. In the U.S. he has given recitals for the Dame Myra Hess Series in Chicago, the Discovery Series in Indianapolis, the Van Cliburn Foundation in Fort Worth, and a Busoni Gala in New York, as well as at the Spoleto Festival of Charleston. He has appeared as soloist with symphony orchestras in New York, Pennsylvania, Texas, Michigan, and North Carolina.
He has also concertized widely in Europe, giving recitals and appearing with orchestras in Italy, Hungary, and Spain, and recording for Spanish National Radio, Radio Suisse Romande, and RAI Italian Radio.
Salmon has won the favor of critics nationwide. His playing has been called “breathtaking” by the Charleston News and Courier, and “stunning, exquisitely passionate” by the Battle Creek Enquirer.
Salmon has served on the music faculty of the University of North at Greensboro since 1989, and he holds degrees in music from the University of Texas and the Juilliard School. His numerous awards include prizes from the Busoni Competition and the University of Maryland Competition.
The Longwood University Chamber Music Series, in its 26th season, presents four concerts each year. For information about becoming a Series Patron please call the Longwood University Department of Music at 395-2495 or 395-2504.