The School of Music has scheduled several performances for the month of February:
Phil Hosford, piano guest artist: Phil Hosford will present a piano concert at 5 p.m. Feb. 3 in Esber Recital Hall, Music Building I, University Park. Hosford has appeared as a solo recitalist, chamber musician and concerto soloist in tours covering six continents. Hosford is the pianist in the National Philharmonic Trio. He is the founder of the Academy of Music in Montgomery County, Md., which currently serves over 800 students.
Garcia piano competition: Talented high school pianists from across Pennsylvania and the Mid-Atlantic Region will compete in the second annual Marian Garcia Piano Competition on Saturday, Feb. 4, in Esber Recital Hall, Music Building I, University Park. The competition, open to the public, begins at 9:30 a.m., with senior division (12th grade) award announcements at 1:45 p.m. and junior division (11th grade) award announcements at 6:30 p.m. Participants will be judged by Penn State piano faculty Marylene Dosse, Timothy Shafer and Steven Smith and guest pianist Phil Hosford. The competition is funded by an endowment created by the late Edith Garcia in honor of her daughter, Marian Garcia, a State College physician. For Information, contact Timothy Shafer at tps1@psu.edu or (814) 863-4413.
Bravo Concert Series: Francis Vidil, organ improvisationalist, will present a concert at 8 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 7, in Esber Recital Hall, University Park. The guest artist's performance is part of the Bravo Concert Series, which benefit the Penn State School of Music Scholarships Funds. Admission is $10. Tickets are available by calling (814) 863-0255 or ordering on the Web at http://www.cpa.psu.edu online. Vidil is professor of piano at the Versailles Conservatory, where he was in addition, given a chair of improvisation, the only one that exists in France except for the Paris Conservatory.
African-American Spirituals Weekend: The University Park event includes several concerts. High school choirs from East Stroudsburg North, Roxbury and Central Mountain will perform at 2:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 10, in Esber Recital Hall. The event is free to the public. The Penn State University Choir, Glee Club, Concert Choir, Oriana Singers and guest artists -- Herbert Jones, baritone; Roy Belfield Jr., organ; Norman Spivey, baritone; and Susan Boardman, soprano -- will perform at 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 10, in Esber Recital Hall. Tickets are $4 for adults and $2 for children. High school choirs from East Stroudsburg North, Roxbury and Central Mountain as well as high school vocalists will perform at 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 11, in the Pasquerilla Spiritual Center. The event is free to the public. Essence of Joy with guest artists Herbert Jones and Roy Belfield Jr. will perform at 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 12, in Esber Recital Hall. Tickets are $4 for adults and $2 for students.
All-Mozart concert: School of Music students will present an all-Mozart chamber music concert at 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 10, at the University Baptist and Brethren Church in State College. The concert is a fund-raiser for the members of the Philharmonic Orchestra who will be traveling to Spain in March. The Penn State Philharmonic is only the second American orchestra to be invited to the VI Ciclo de Orquestas Universitatias (Concert Series of University Orchestras). The concert will be conducted by graduate student, Katie O'Brien, and feature graduate student, Sasha Piastro-Tedford, soprano. Donations will be accepted.
Percussion Ensemble: The Penn State Percussion Ensemble 1 and Mallet Ensemble, under the direction of Dan C. Armstrong, will present a combined concert at 8 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 14, in the Esber Recital Hall, Music Building I, on the Penn State University Park campus. Two soloists will be featured with Percussion Ensemble 1. Scott Kemerer, graduate teaching assistant in percussion, will perform "Concerto for Marimba and Percussion Ensemble" by Brazilian composer Ney Rosauro. Langston Fitzgerald, professor of trumpet, will perform "Concerto for Trumpet and Percussion Ensemble" by Philip Parker. The concert will be free and open to the public.
Flute studio recital: The Penn State Flute Studio will present its spring recital at 8 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 21, in Esber Recital Hall, Music Building I, University Park. The program will include works from the 19th and 20th centuries and feature all members of the flute family. All members of the flute studio will be performing. The recital will be free to the public.
Juliet White-Smith, guest artist: Violist Juliet White-Smith, guest artist, will present a recital at 8 p.m. Feb. 23, in the Esber Recital Hall, Music Building I, University Park. White-Smith is an active soloist and chamber recitalist and has appeared in professional ensembles in the United States, Europe and the Middle East. White-Smith currently serves as associate professor of viola and director of the String Chamber Music Program at the University of Northern Colorado. The concert will be free to the public.