Juliet White-Smith, professor of viola, and guest pianist Rick Ferguson present "Mid-Century Modern" — works for viola and piano from 1939–1975 by Ulysses Kay, Florence Price and Dmitri Shostakovich.
This program features early works for viola and piano by Ulysses Kay: his Sonatine (1939) and Sonata (1942), the former a romantic work written while at student at the Berkshire Music Festival (now Tanglewood) and the latter while a student of Paul Hindemith. The three works by Florence Price are a collection of two of her vivid and luxurious art songs (including "Songs to the Dark Virgin" with poetry by Langston Hughes; and "Night," setting of a poem by Louise C. Wallace) offered here as purely instrumental works alongside a transcription of her Elfentanz, originally for violin and piano. And finally, the program closes with Dmitri Shostakovich's swan song, his Sonata for Viola and Piano (1975), which traverses his musical influences in reverse chronological order beginning with a 12-tone row around which the first movement is organized to a middle movement transcription of a scene from his unfinished opera The Gamblers, and ending with an ethereal movement quoting the opening of Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata, Op. 27 No. 2, which served as a competition piece for Shostakovich as a young pianist.
This concert is free and open to the public. No ticket required.
Livestream broadcast begins at 7:30 p.m.
- Access the digital recital program. No paper programs will be distributed.
An active chamber musician and avid recital partner, Rick Ferguson was selected to be a senior fellow for the Chicago Chamber Musicians and has performed chamber music, solo, and concerto repertoire in the US and Europe. He maintains an active life as teacher, composer, and arts advocate as co-founder and artistic director of The Musical Offering in Evanston, Illinois.
Ferguson holds a Bachelor of Music degree from Birmingham-Southern College (magna cum laude) and earned a Master of Music degree from the University of Houston where he studied with world-renowned concert artist Abbey Simon. His studies have also taken him to the Longy School of Music in Cambridge, MA and Northwestern University, where he undertook post-graduate study. Teachers and mentors include Daniel Ericourt, Deborah Sobol, Ivan Davis, Joseph Block, Jörg Demus, Delores Hodgens-Howard and Roy McAllister.
In 2020, Ferguson helped co-found the Evanston Performing Arts Collective (EPAC) and is also a recording artist on the Southport and Albany Records. Ferguson is a strong advocate of STEAM-based education in the public schools. In his spare time, Ferguson enjoys creating lecture-performance videos on his YouTube channel (Rick Ferguson Music).
All events are subject to change.
GETTING HERE
Park in the Arps Garage (open to visitors M–F after 4 p.m. and on weekends) just north of the Timashev Music building.
The Timashev Recital Hall is located on the ground floor, at the far north end of the building.