Posted by Mary Wimberley on 2008-01-24

Samford University pianist Kathryn Fouse will present a recital of music by celebrated classical composers as well as works by two young contemporary composers Tuesday, Feb. 5.

The program includes "Concerto in the Italian Style" by J.S. Bach, "Sonata in E-flat Major" by Ludwig van Beethoven, "Ballade in A-flat Major" by Frederic Chopin, and "Nocturne for Lauren Ansley" by 21st century composer Joel Scott Davis.

Dr. Fouse also will present the world premiere of "Portraits from Shakespeare's Titus Andronicus" by 22-year-old Paul Szpyrka. The first two movements of the six-movement piece were introduced to Fouse at a 2006 music festival in Italy.

The work was so well received that the Samford pianist encouraged Szpyrka, a music student at the University of Kansas, to complete the composition for the story told in the Shakespearean tragedy.

Davis, a 2005 Samford graduate, wrote "Nocturne" as an engagement present for his fiancee, Lauren Ansley Heerssen, also a 2005 graduate. The two are now married and living in California, where he is in graduate school.

Fouse holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in piano performance from the University of North Texas. At Samford, she is coordinator of piano pedagogy and class piano. She also maintains a career as a virtuoso pianist and professional accompanist, with a special interest in the study and performance of 20th Century American piano music.

The recital is at 7:30 p.m. in Brock Recital Hall. The public is invited free of charge.

Samford University pianist Kathryn Fouse will present a recital of music by celebrated classical composers as well as works by two young contemporary composers Tuesday, Feb. 5.

The program includes "Concerto in the Italian Style" by J.S. Bach, "Sonata in E-flat Major" by Ludwig van Beethoven, "Ballade in A-flat Major" by Frederic Chopin, and "Nocturne for Lauren Ansley" by 21st century composer Joel Scott Davis.

Dr. Fouse also will present the world premiere of "Portraits from Shakespeare's Titus Andronicus" by 22-year-old Paul Szpyrka. The first two movements of the six-movement piece were introduced to Fouse at a 2006 music festival in Italy.

The work was so well received that the Samford pianist encouraged Szpyrka, a music student at the University of Kansas, to complete the composition for the story told in the Shakespearean tragedy.

Davis, a 2005 Samford graduate, wrote "Nocturne" as an engagement present for Ansley, also a 2005 graduate. The two are now married and living in California, where he is in graduate school.

Fouse holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in piano performance from the University of North Texas. At Samford, she is coordinator of piano pedagogy and class piano. She also maintains a career as a virtuoso pianist and professional accompanist, with a special interest in the study and performance of 20th Century American piano music.

The recital is at 7:30 p.m. in Brock Recital Hall. The public is invited free of charge.

 
Samford is a leading Christian university offering undergraduate programs grounded in the liberal arts with an array of nationally recognized graduate and professional schools. Founded in 1841, Samford is the 87th-oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. Samford enrolls 5,791 students from 49 states, Puerto Rico and 16 countries in its 10 academic schools: arts, arts and sciences, business, divinity, education, health professions, law, nursing, pharmacy and public health. Samford fields 17 athletic teams that compete in the tradition-rich Southern Conference and ranks 6th nationally for its Graduation Success Rate among all NCAA Division I schools.