Sunday Recital Series continues with pianist Lise Keiter

The Sunday Recital Series at Mary Baldwin University will continue on Sunday, March 19 with pianist Lise Keiter.  Her varied program features works of Marianne Martinez, William Grant Still, Florence B. Price, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, and Sergei Prokofiev.  The concert is at 3 p.m. in Francis Auditorium.

Keiter enjoys featuring works of women composers and will open with a sonata of Austrian composer Marianne Martinez.  “Marianne Martinez was a very prolific composer and a talented keyboardist and singer,” said Keiter.  “She was a contemporary of Haydn and Mozart, and this cheerful piece definitely has the characteristic sound of the Classical Era.”  Keiter will also highlight works of William Grant Still and Florence B. Price, two important African-American composers.  “I am a big fan of William Grant Still’s music,” says Keiter. “His work, Summerland is a beautiful and reflective piece that I think people will enjoy.  And Florence B. Price is someone else I really admire — she was important both as a pianist and as a composer.  Price’s Silk Hat and Walking Cane is a fun piece that may remind listeners of Scott Joplin.”  Also on the program are two appealing selections by the African-English composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor.  “These two pieces by Coleridge-Taylor definitely have the lush sounds and harmonies of the late Romantic Era,” says Keiter.  She will close the program with one of Sergei Prokofiev’s most famous works for piano, the monumental Sonata No. 6.  “This is such an exciting piece, and I am honored to have the chance to play it and share it with listeners,” she explains.  “It has all of the wonderful ‘Prokofiev ingredients’—driving rhythms, surprising harmonies, and plenty of power and intensity, along with appealing melodies and ironic humor.”

Keiter has performed throughout the U.S. and in Europe, and she is very active as a solo recitalist, collaborative artist, and soloist with orchestra.  She is on the faculty at Mary Baldwin University and holds degrees from Indiana University and the Oberlin Conservatory.

Tickets for March 19 may be purchased at the door and are $5 for the General Public and $4 for students and seniors (free for MBU students). For more information, visit https://go.marybaldwin.edu/arts/music/ or call 540-887-7294.