The SUU Piano Monster Concert Series presents “A Wild Ride” at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 10, at Cedar City’s Heritage Center. The concert will showcase piano ensembles ranging in size from piano quartets to full ensembles. Groups may feature as many as 24 pianists playing together on eight grand pianos.
Under the direction of Dr. Christian Bohnenstengel, this year’s wickedly adventurous program includes such diverse works as Edvard Grieg’s “Morning Mood” from the “Peer Gynt Suite,” Giachino Rossini’s “Overture” to The Barber of Seville, Melody Bober’s “Back and Forth Waltz” and “Hot Popcorn!,” Johann Strauss, Jr’s “Blue Danube Waltz” in an arrangement by Robert Schultz, Jeanne Costello’s “The Cricket and the Bullfrog,” Emilie Lin’s “Sneaky Fox Boogie,” and Kevin Olson’s “At the Robot Factory,” “Santa’s Wild Ride,” and “out…standing.”
“A Wild Ride” also includes performances of Robert Vandall’s “Blue Threesome” and “Triple Dip,” Kevin Costley’s “Mountain Wildflowers,” Claudette Hudelson’s “Toe-Tappin’ Twins,” Sergei Rachmaninoff’s “Two Pieces for Six Hands,” and Léo Delibes’s “Flower Duet” from “Lakmé,” arranged by Nancy Lau. A special highlight features guest artists Nancy Allred, Christopher Giles, and Brandon Lee from the department of music at Dixie State University who join Dr. Bohnenstengel for a rendition of “Variations on a Theme by Paganini” by The First Piano Quartet.
“What makes this experience so special for the participants is that pianists are usually a solitary lot,” according to Mary Anne Andersen, adjunct professor of piano. “Instrumentalists and singers need accompanists to sound complete, and often play in orchestras and sing in choirs. But the piano player is his own soloist and accompanist and practices and performs alone. It is not unusual to see two pianos on stage with two or four players, but three pianos is quite memorable, and eight is really a unique situation.” Andersen will be playing alongside two of her students in the late intermediate group and will conduct the elementary II group.
Tickets are $6 for adults, $4 for alumni, and $3 for youth. SUU faculty, staff, and students enter free with current ID.
