Steinway Artist headlines Dubois Piano Festival

BGSU will host American pianist and Steinway Artist Spencer Myer for the annual David D. Dubois Piano Festival and Competition Feb. 12-14.

Lauded for “superb playing” and “poised, alert musicianship” by the Boston Globe, Myer is one of the most respected and sought-after pianists on today’s concert stages. During his visit to BGSU, he will sit on a panel of judges for the Dubois piano competition; work with piano students during a master class, and present a community concert at 8 p.m. on Feb. 13 in Kobacker Hall at Moore Musical Arts Center.

His performance will include pieces by Mozart, Schumann, Ravel and Bolcom.

Myer’s orchestral, recital and chamber music performances have been heard throughout the U.S., Canada, Europe, Africa and Asia. He has been soloist with, among many others, the Cleveland Orchestra; the Boise, Dayton and Louisiana philharmonic orchestras; Pro Art Chamber Orchestra of Boston; the Park Avenue Chamber Symphony; Mexico’s Orquesta Filarmónica de Jalisco; South Africa’s Cape Town and Johannesburg philharmonic orchestras, and Beijing’s China National Symphony Orchestra. In May 2005, his recital/orchestral tour of South Africa included a performance of the five piano concerti of Beethoven with the Chamber Orchestra of South Africa, followed by return orchestra and recital tours in 2010 and 2012.

He will conduct a master class for BGSU piano students from 2:30-4:30 p.m. on Feb. 12 in Bryan Recital Hall. The class is free and open to the public.

Twenty-six competitors will be invited to the Dubois competition semifinal round, scheduled from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Feb. 13 in Kobacker Hall, with the finalists announced at 5:30 p.m. The competition finals are from 9 a.m. to noon Feb. 14 in Kobacker Hall. Winners will be announced at 12:30 p.m.

Tickets for the public performance on Feb. 13 are $10 for adults, $5 for children and free for BGSU students. Tickets are available online, by calling the Arts Box Office at 419-372-8171, or visiting the arts ticket office in the Wolfe Center for the Arts.

The Dubois Piano Festival and Competition is named for Dr. David D. Dubois, an internationally recognized consultant, author and speaker who had a love of music and a passion for piano and organ performance. In 2008, after reviewing proposals from major music schools around the nation, the David D. Dubois Trust established the competition at BGSU to enhance the piano program in the College of Musical Arts. The competition supports student pianists by providing scholarships for high school students to attend BGSU, encouraging undergraduate students to develop innovative programming ideas for outreach projects and supporting current piano students to participate in music festivals around the world.

For more information, visit the DuBois site online.