Prize-winning pianist and Juilliard professor Robert McDonald will perform works by Bach, Beethoven, Chopin, Nielson and Fauré in a free public concert at 2 p.m. Sunday, April 7, in Hinton Music Hall inside MTSU’s Wright Music Building.

Pianist and Juilliard professor Robert McDonald will present a free concert at MTSU April 7 and conduct master classes for promising local piano students. (photo submitted)

McDonald, a prize-winning soloist and chamber musician as well as a longtime recital partner for renowned violinist and conductor Isaac Stern, also will teach two free master classes to 10 of Tennessee’s most promising high school and college piano students on Saturday, April 6, in Hinton Hall.

The classes, which will be held at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. April 6, will be open to the public, too.

“It is tremendously exciting to have Mr. McDonald on campus to perform and work with Tennessee students,” said Dr. Lynn Rice-See, professor of piano and coordinator of keyboard studies at MTSU.

“His stature both as a performer and a pedagogue place him on the highest level, and we are delighted to welcome teachers, students and the public to hear him work with students and perform. Having known him for many years, I am delighted to have such a special individual in Murfreesboro for a few days.”

During the master classes, the students, who were selected through an audition process, will perform works of their solo piano repertoire and will receive input from McDonald. The participants include:

• MTSU master’s degree candidate Elizabeth Chua, who is one of MTSU professor Arunesh Nadgir’s students;
• Tennessee Tech sophomore Joshua Davis, a student of TTU music professor Catherine Godes;
• Elizabeth Gray and Rebekah Lim of South Haven Christian High School in Springfield, Tenn., who are students of professor Karen Krieger at Vanderbilt University’s Blair School of Music;
• MTSU junior Yong Goo Kim, one of Rice-See’s students;
• Siyou Li, a student at Lee University in Cleveland, Tenn., under music professor Ning An;
• Montgomery Bell Academy Kevin Wang, who is a student of Blair School of Music professor Amy Dorfman;
• Vanderbilt junior Brian Woods, a student of the Blair School’s Craig Nies;
• Vanderbilt senior Susan Yang, who studies with Dorfman at the Blair School; and
• Wan-Lin Yu of Lee University, a student of Ning An.

“This is a wonderful opportunity for students in Tennessee to work with one of the world’s most distinguished pianists and revered teachers as well as to hear him perform,” said Nadgir, an assistant professor of piano at MTSU.

These free events are sponsored by the Steinway Piano Gallery of Nashville, the MTSU Distinguished Lecture Fund, the Office of the University Provost at MTSU, the MTSU College of Liberal Arts and the MTSU School of Music.

In addition to performances at international and U.S. music festivals and broadcasts and an extensive recording career, McDonald has been a member of the piano faculty at the Juilliard School since 1999. He also joined the faculty of the Curtis Institute of Music in 2007, where he holds the Penelope P. Watkins Chair in Piano Studies.

During the summer, McDonald serves as artistic director of the Taos School of Music and Chamber Music Festival in New Mexico.

For more information on this and other MTSU School of Music events, call 615-898-2493 or visit www.mtsumusic.com and click on the “Concert Calendar” link.