Steinway Pianist Lara Downes to Perform All American Program
- When: Thursday, February 24, 2011, 7:30 p.m.
- Where: Parish Hall, St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 1000 North Mississippi Avenue, Little Rock, AR
- Cost: $10 - $25
- Age limit: Not available
- Categories: Community, Music (other), Musical
Steinway Pianist Lara Downes to Perform All American Program
featuring
Work by Historic Little Rock Composer
Presented by the Chamber Music Society of Little Rock
Where: Parish Hall, St. Mark’s Episcopal Church
1000 North Mississippi Avenue
Little Rock, AR
When: Thursday, February 24, 2011 7:30 PM
Tickets: Adult $25; Student $10
http://www.chambermusiclr.com/tickets.html
Information: (501) 661-0520 http://www.chambermusiclr.com/index.html
Full bio and images available for download at:
www.laradownes.com
(2/9/2011) Little Rock, Arkansas – The Chamber Music Society of Little Rock will bring the music of a noted Little Rock native home when they present Steinway Concert Artist Lara Downes on Thursday evening, February 24th. Ms. Downes will perform her critically acclaimed concert program, THE AMERICANS. Called “an American musical-vernacular celebration delivered with finesse” (Seattle Times), THE AMERICANS is a fascinating recital that highlights distinctly American voices of the 20th century – Aaron Copland, Samuel Barber, George Gershwin, Roy Harris and Little Rock born composer Florence Price. Ms. Price (1887-1953), a master artist unique to the nation, is considered to be the first black woman in the United States to be nationally recognized as a symphonic composer.
Selected by the NEA for American Masterpieces funding as part of the University of Washington’s 2010-11 season, Ms. Downes’ vibrant, highly accessible program features perennial favorites such as Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue as well as lesser know works including Florence Price’s virtuoso solo piano masterpiece Fantasie Negre:
THE AMERICANS Program
Roy Harris: American Ballads
Samuel Barber: Excursions, Op. 20
Aaron Copland: Four Dance Episodes from Rodeo
Florence Price: Fantasie Negre
Aaron Copland: Four Piano Blues
George Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue
ABOUT LARA DOWNES
A captivating presence both on and offstage, critically acclaimed Steinway Concert Artist Lara Downes is redefining the solo recital format with visionary, cutting-edge performances at prestigious concert venues worldwide. Lauded by NPR as “a delightful artist with a unique blend of musicianship and showmanship,” Ms. Downes presents the piano repertoire - from traditional favorites to newly commissioned works - in creative ways that bridge musical tastes, genres and audiences. Her fresh interpretations have brought Lara acclaim as one of the most exciting young pianists of today's generation. Since making concert debuts at Queen Elizabeth Hall London, the Vienna Konzerthaus and the Salle Gaveau Paris, she has won over audiences at Carnegie Hall, Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, the American Academy Rome, San Francisco Performances, the Montreal Chamber Music Festival and the University of Washington President’s Piano Series, among many others.
Lara’s unique performance style, called “a voyage of discovery and fun” (Sacramento Bee), combines dazzling interpretations with engaging and sometimes humorous narratives that weave musical and historical context around the music she plays. Often accompanied by multimedia visual and spoken-word components, Lara’s performances construct multi-sensory landscapes that explore the conditions and inspirations that brought the music to life. Ms. Downes’ performance works have received funding support from prominent organizations such as the National Endowment for the Arts, the Barlow Endowment for Music Composition and American Public Media’s Classical Music Initiative. In addition to the excitement Lara brings to the concert stage, her commercial recordings have met with tremendous critical and popular acclaim. Her debut CD, Invitation to the Dance, was called “a magical little recording” by NPR, and her second release, American Ballads, was ranked by Amazon.com among the four best recordings of American music ever made. Her most recent recording, Dream of Me, was praised for “exquisite sensitivity” by American Record Guide.
Lara is Artist in Residence at the Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts at the University of California at Davis where she also serves as co-curator of the Mondavi Center’s Studio Classics Series.
THE AMERICANS: Lara Downes, pianist
Recital for the Chamber Music Society of Little Rock
Thursday, February 24, 2011 7:30 PM
Roy Harris: American Ballads
-Streets of Laredo
-Wayfaring Stranger
-The Bird
-Black is the Color of my True Love's Hair
-Cod Liver Ile
Samuel Barber: Excursions, Op. 20
-Un poco allegro
-In slow blues tempo
-Allegretto
-Allegro molto
Aaron Copland: Four Dance Episodes from Rodeo
-Buckaroo Holiday
-Corral Nocturne
-Saturday Night Waltz
-Hoe-Down
Intermission
Florence Price: Fantasie Negre
Aaron Copland: Four Piano Blues
-Freely poetic
-Soft and languid
-Muted and sensuous
-With bounce
George Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue
