10:00 AM - 10:15 AM - Meet and greet
10:15 AM - Announcements
10:30 - Presentation: Dr. Leonidas Lagrimas, piano. Finding their Voice: Character Pieces of Women Composers
For many female composers of past and present, the shorter piano work known as the "character piece" represented the opportunity to develop their own unique voice and the freedom to push the boundaries of piano music. These character pieces by female composers hold even more relevance for 21st century audiences when we consider them from a social and cultural context. Pianist Leonidas Lagrimas presents a lecture recital exploring some of the innovative character pieces of Amy Beach and Dianne Goolkasian Rahbee, and their connections to works by Chopin, Brahms, and Debussy.
Program:
Prelude, op. 45 in C-sharp minor Frederic Chopin
Intermezzo op. 119 no. 1 in B minor Johannes Brahms
Selections from Improvisations for Piano, op. 148 Amy Beach
Selections from Preludes, Book I Claude Debussy
Selected Preludes Dianne Goolkasian Rahbee
Dr. Leonidas Lagrimas serves as Assistant Professor of Piano and Piano Pedagogy at Western Carolina University. His duties include coordinating the Class Piano program and teaching Applied Piano. An emerging leader in piano pedagogy research, Dr. Lagrimas has served as a presenter/clinician at numerous local, state, regional, and national music conferences, including MTNA, GP3, NAfME, NCKP, and College Music Society. He is a frequently invited guest lecturer throughout the country with past workshops and guest teaching appearances at the Eastman School of Music, University of Cincinnati-Conservatory of Music (CCM), Bethune-Cookman University (FL), SUNY Buffalo State College, Reinhardt University (GA), Milligan College (TN), and Florida State University. He has been a featured clinician for the Frances Clark Center’s webinar research series and a contributor for their online pedagogy courses.
Dr. Lagrimas' performance experience includes multiple collaborative piano appearances at Carnegie Hall, recent solo and collaborative guest artist recitals at University of North Florida, SUNY-Fredonia, Valdosta State University (GA), Florida College, Livingston College (NC), Wesleyan College (GA), University of Tennessee-Southern (TN), and numerous appearances as a choral and church accompanist throughout the East Coast. Active as a musical theatre accompanist/keyboardist, music director, vocal coach and conductor, his recent regional credits include Little Shop of Horrors for Starring Buffalo! at Shea's 710 Theatre (Buffalo, NY), Rock of Ages and 9 to 5: The Musical for Theatre Tallahassee, In the Heights and American Idiot for New Stage Theatreworks, and numerous community, collegiate, and high school mainstage productions.
Dr. Lagrimas holds National Certification (NCTM) in piano from MTNA, and a Ph.D. in Music Education and Piano Pedagogy from Florida State University. He serves as a state board member for the North Carolina Music Teachers Association and a founding member of North Carolina's first Virtual local teachers' association chapter. His scholarly interests include collegiate group piano curriculum, piano recital repertoire, and pedagogical practices on Claude Debussy’s music. His previous full-time faculty appointments include SUNY-Fredonia and Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, and prior to his doctoral studies he served as a music teacher in the New York City public schools for ten years.