WEST LIBERTY, W.Va., April 29, 2016 — Professor Gerald Lee will perform in a solo piano recital at 7 p.m., Wednesday, May 4 in Elbin Auditorium, College Hall. The performance is free and open to the public.
“Please join me for an evening of colorful, exciting piano music! The first half of the recital program features French musical styles, as manifested in Maurice Ravel’s Sonatine and César Franck’s Prelude, Chorale and Fugue. The second half of the program is inspired by Hungarian musical styles, as displayed in Béla Bartók’s “Out of Doors” suite and Franz Liszt’s Dante Sonata,” Dr. Lee explained.
Lee has been a full-time faculty member since 2002. He earned three piano performance degrees: Bachelor of Music, Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts from Illinois Wesleyan University, Indiana University and the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, respectively.
He was a winner in the Pittsburgh Concert Society Major Auditions 2009. In addition, he won first place in the 2002 National Society of Arts and Letters Piano Competition, held in Lansing, Mich., second place in the 2002 National Finals of the Music Teachers’ National Association (MTNA) Collegiate Artists Piano Competition in Cincinnati, Ohio and third place in the 2003 International Beethoven Piano Sonata Competition in Memphis, Tenn.
He enjoys maintaining an extensive schedule of solo and chamber music performances, the latter including recitals with such artistic luminaries as Faith Esham, soprano, John Rommel, trumpet, Jeremy Black, violin and Erina Laraby-Goldwasser, viola.
He serves as chairman of competitions and first vice president for the West Virginia Music Teachers’ Association. A frequent adjudicator for piano competitions, such as those held by MTNA at both the state and division levels, he is active at many levels of instruction.
Passionate about the works of Russian composer and pianist Alexander Scriabin, he continues to present lecture-recitals featuring Scriabin’s piano sonatas at numerous College Music Society conferences.
WLU’s Department of Music and Theater is housed within the College of Arts and Communication. It offers the Bachelor of Arts in Music Performance degree, the Bachelor of Arts in Music Education degree and the Bachelor of Music Technology degree programs. Students also may choose to minor in music. For complete information, please contact the music department at 304-336-8930.