Peer Connections: Reflections on Bridging into the Professional Life
Discovery homeSign up for email updatessubmit a question The Frances Clark Center is excited to launch Peer Connections, a virtual gathering of young professionals to engage with relevant topics and develop a global network of peers. The first Peer Connections: Bridging into the Professional Life will be held on...
Happy Birthday, Marvin Blickenstaff!
Discovery homeSign up for email updatessubmit a question Marvin Blickenstaff THIS WEEK IN PIANO HISTORY, we celebrate one of our own—Marvin Blickenstaff—who was born on May 19, 1935. A world-renowned music educator and pianist, Blickenstaff’s career as a leader in the field of piano pedagogy...
Bach Meets with the King!
Discovery homeSign up for email updatessubmit a question A statue of J. S. Bach. THIS WEEK IN PIANO HISTORY, Bach met King Frederick the Great of Prussia on May 7, 1747. During this visit, Frederick the Great inspired one of Bach’s most important final works,...
Blending East and West: Ma Shui-Long
Discovery homeSign up for email updatessubmit a question Ma Shui-Long THIS WEEK IN PIANO HISTORY, we remember Taiwanese composer Ma Shui-Long who died on May 2, 2015 at the age of 75. A composer of a wide oeuvre of works, Ma is known for his...
Für Elise: Beethoven’s Infamous Composition
Discovery homeSign up for email updatessubmit a question Ludwig van Beethoven THIS WEEK IN PIANO HISTORY, Beethoven composed his infamous bagatelle Für Elise WoO 59 on April 27, 1810. The short piece is built around a recurring theme that is unceasingly popular with pianists of...
Nina Simone: Remembering a Trailblazer
Discovery homeSign up for email updatessubmit a question Nina Simone THIS WEEK IN PIANO HISTORY, we remember pianist Nina Simone who died on April 21, 2003. Simone, born as Eunice Kathleen Waymon on February 21, 1933 in Tryon, North Carolina, was a jazz singer, pianist,...
The Birth of Argentina’s Musical Advocate: Alberto Ginastera
Discovery homeSign up for email updatessubmit a question A portrait of Ginastera THIS WEEK IN PIANO HISTORY, we celebrate the birth of Argentine composer Alberto Ginastera, born on April 11, 1916. Ginastera has been described as an important composer in the history of Argentina, with...
This Week in Piano History: Happy 150th, Sergei!
Discovery homeSign up for email updatessubmit a question A portrait of Rachmaninoff THIS WEEK IN PIANO HISTORY, we celebrate the birth of composer, pianist, and conductor Sergei Rachmaninoff, born on April 1, 1873. Despite his enduring fame as a composer, Rachmaninoff was largely known in...
This Week in Piano History: Beethoven’s Viennese Debut
Discovery homeSign up for email updatessubmit a question A portrait of young Beethoven THIS WEEK IN PIANO HISTORY, we celebrate Beethoven’s debut as a pianist in Vienna on March 29, 1795. At just twenty-four years old, Beethoven’s performance marked the beginning of a lifelong musical...
This Week in Piano History: The Demise of Hanon
Discovery homeSign up for email updatessubmit a question THIS WEEK IN PIANO HISTORY, we remember composer and organist Charles-Louis Hanon, who died on March 19, 1900 in Boulogne-sur-Mer, France. Author of the infamous collection The Virtuoso Pianist, Hanon is little known besides this work. Hanon...
This Week in Piano History: The Birth of “Mr. Harmony”
Discovery homeSign up for email updatessubmit a question Mario Ruiz Armengol THIS WEEK IN PIANO HISTORY, we celebrate the birth of composer Mario Ruiz Armengol, who was born on March 17, 1914. A Mexican composer, Ruiz Armengol wrote a number of important piano works including...
This Week in Piano History: National Black Women in Jazz and the Arts Day
Discovery homeSign up for email updatessubmit a question Michelle Cann Tania León Dr. Valerie Capers Nina Simone Margaret Bonds Happy National Black Women in Jazz and the Arts Day! Created by the organization Black Women in Jazz, this day celebrates the remarkable impact of Black...
This Week in Piano History: The Concert with an Audience of Legends (Including Liszt, Mendelssohn, and Wieck!)
Discovery homeSign up for email updatessubmit a question Frederic Chopin THIS WEEK IN PIANO HISTORY, Chopin had his premiere at the Salons de Pleyel in Paris on February 25, 1832.1 Chopin’s first concert after arriving in Paris, this debut marked one of the few times...
This Week in Piano History: The King of Etudes
Discovery homeSign up for email updatessubmit a question Carl Czerny THIS WEEK IN PIANO HISTORY, we celebrate the birth of pianist and composer Carl Czerny who was born on February 21, 1791. Although primarily known for his numerous etudes, Czerny was a prolific composer publishing...
This Week in Piano History: The Ragtime “Scott” You Might Not Know
Discovery homeSign up for email updatessubmit a question James Sylvester Scott THIS WEEK IN PIANO HISTORY, we celebrate the birth of major ragtime composer James Sylvester Scott who was born on February 12, 1885. Scott produced a number of hits including Ophelia Rag, Frog Legs...