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Contact: Amy Houle

Communications Specialist

Office: (817) 531-7521

ahoule@txwes.edu

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

WESLEYAN MUSIC DEPARTMENT CONTINUES TRADITION WITH BARR INVITATIONAL DUO-PIANO RECITAL

On Tuesday, March 6, 2007, the Barr Invitational Duo-Piano Recital series continues. Named for piano donors and philanthropists Dr. Howard and Mrs. Patricia Barr, the series is designed to encourage and promote duo-piano performance by talented professional artists in the earlier stages of their career. The Barr Invitational Duo-Piano Recital series was created to recognize and continue appreciation for last year’s donation to the Music Department by Dr. and Mrs. Barr of three of their personal grand pianos – including the two Baldwin SD-10 concert instruments used on this occasion.

This year’s recitalists are Dallas-area-based husband-and-wife team Annie Lin and Steven Hall. The concert will take place at 7:30 p.m. in Martin Hall with admission free and open to the public.

The five-piece piano program is full of enthralling works by composers from the 19th and 20th centuries. The duo will open with two pieces by French composer Francis Poulenc. The first, entitled L’Embarquement  pour  Cythere, was extracted from a 1951 film score Le Voyage en Amerique that was named after a painting by Watteau. The second piece, Capriccio d’apres Le Bal masque, is a frenetic and episodic transcription of the solo version that was dedicated to American composer Samuel Barber.

Following the French works is the popular Johannes Brahms Variations on a Theme by Joseph Haydn, a piece originally set to music for duo-piano, which constantly transforms harmony and rhythms while building toward a triumphant end.

The second half of the program includes the finale of the Andalusian dances, entitled Gracia, composed by one of the leading Spanish composers of the 20th century, and the well-known Porgy and Bess Fantasy by George Gershwin, arranged by Percy Grainger.

Dr. Annie Lin, who is currently on the faculty of the Brandeis Piano Conservatory in Richardson, Texas, earned her Bachelor and Masters degrees in piano performance from the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music. Dr. Steven Hall, founder of the Brandeis Piano Conservatory, earned his Bachelor and Master of Music degrees at University of Texas at Austin and completed his DMA in Piano Performance at the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music. Both award-winning pianists have displayed their talents all over the world and are in demand as adjudicators, clinicians and performers.

Martin Hall was renovated with the generous gifts of Nicholas and Louella Martin and reopened in October 2002. Now, the 600-seat hall is the music department’s premier performance space, hosting concerts, recitals and university and community events. Martin Hall is located at 1309 Wesleyan St. at the northeast corner of Rosedale Street and Wesleyan Street on the Texas Wesleyan University Historic Campus in east Fort Worth. Free parking is available on campus.

For more details, contact the Department of Music at (817) 531-4992 or visit us on the Web at http://www.txwes.edu/music/music/index.htm.