Join the MBU community for an installment in the Broman Concert Series on Monday, Oct. 26 at 7:30 pm in Francis Auditorium
The Mary Baldwin University Music Department is excited to announce this season’s opening Broman Concert, featuring celebrated oboist/composer Stephen Key, performing alongside award-winning pianist Ryo Yanagitani. The concert is Monday, October 26 at 7:30 pm in Francis Auditorium on the Mary Baldwin campus.
A member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, Stephen Key is one of the most sought-after oboists of his generation. Currently serving as Principal Oboe for the New Orchestra of Washington, he has also performed with the National Symphony, the Richmond Symphony, and the New World Symphony. He is also Principal Oboe with the Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival. As a chamber musician, he regularly performs on recital series throughout the U.S. and in Europe. Also a prolific composer, he recently performed the European Premiere of his Trio for Oboe, Cello, and Piano (“Hymn to a Better World”) as part of a multi-city tour of Germany, Switzerland, and Italy.
Hailed by the Washington Post as “A pianist’s pianist,” Ryo Yanagitani’s success includes winning the Gold Medal at San Antonio International Piano Competition, and he was also the Grand Prize Winner of the Hugo Kauder International Piano Competition. He has made concerto appearances with orchestras around the world, including the Baltimore Symphony, the Vancouver Symphony, the San Antonio Symphony, and the Tokyo Kioi Symphonietta. He is also in demand as a chamber musician and has performed at numerous chamber music festivals around the United States.
Key and Yanagitani have chosen a wonderful program for October 26, including one of Key’s newest compositions, Sonata No. 2 (“Hope”). Key explains that this piece “started out as a sonatina inspired by my oboe students…and the process led me to give it the “Hope” subtitle, because it concludes with such an unvarnished feeling of hope that I see in the personalities of my students.” The duo will also perform the beautiful Sonata for Oboe and Piano by Camille Saint-Saens, as well as selections from Lili Boulanger’s Clairières dans le Ciel, a moving song cycle that Key recently recorded. As on the program is Olivier Messian’s Fantasie, an exciting work originally for violin and piano. Key explains that this varied and accessible program “truly has something for everyone!”
Tickets for the October 26 Broman Concert are still available; audiences are encouraged to purchase tickets online as soon as possible. Tickets are $25 for the General Public, $20 for Seniors, $5 for Non-MBU students, and free for children 12 and under. (Mary Baldwin students, faculty, and staff also receive free admission.) The full season of concerts at Mary Baldwin may be found here. and questions may be emailed to Music@marybaldwin.edu.