Kent State's Kent Keyboard Series To Present A Folk-infused Chamber Music Concert Feb. 24

The Kent Keyboard Series continues its 2018-2019 season with pianist Donna Lee, Steinway Artist, and professor and coordinator of piano at Kent State University, on Sun., Feb. 24 at 5 p.m. in Ludwig Recital Hall. She will be joined by clarinetist Daniel Gilbert, a faculty member at the prestigious University of Michigan, and violinist Miho Hashizume, a member of the renowned Cleveland Orchestra and holder of the Theodore Rautenberg Endowed Chair. Kent State's Ludwig Recital Hall is at 1325 Theatre Drive in the Center for the Performing Arts on the Kent Campus. Ample free and handicap accessible parking is available.

Dr. Donna Lee presents a collaborative recital of folk music inspired works from the 20th and 21st centuries. First on the program is Robert Livingston Aldridge's fiddle-based "Carolinian Dances," performed with violinist Miho Hashizume. Dr. Lee will then be joined by clarinetist Daniel Gilbert for Paquito D'Rivera's "The Cape Cod File." Over the course of the three movements, the work evokes Benny Goodman's unique style, the Argentinian tango, and the Cuban Danzon. Concluding the concert is Béla Bartók's virtuosic Hungarian and Romanian dance-infused "Contrasts" for violin, clarinet and piano, Sz. 111.

Described as "elegant" and "refined" by critics, pianist Donna Lee made her solo debut in 1990 with the National Symphony Orchestra. She has since appeared as a soloist and collaborative artist at the Kennedy Center's Concert Hall and Terrace Theater in Washington, DC and Lincoln Center's Alice Tully Hall in New York City. She has also performed in Asia, Europe and throughout the US, with recent performances in Hong Kong, Beijing, China and Puerto Rico. Donna has been heard in broadcast performances over radio stations such as New York City's WQXR, Cleveland's WCLV, Kent's WKSU, Swedish Radio, Voice of America, and more. She has recorded for the Proprius, Innova and Musart labels. She made her solo recording debut, "Scenes from Childhood," on the Azica label, with works by Schumann, del Tredici, Medtner, and Prokofieff.

Violinist Miho Hashizume is a founding member of Cleveland's Apollo's Fire and a member of the first violin section of The Cleveland Orchestra. She studied modern and baroque violin at the renowned Toho School of Music in Tokyo. Upon emigrating to the U.S. 1991, she studied at the Cleveland Institute of Music and won first prize at the MTNA-Wurlitzer Collegiate National Competition. Before joining The Cleveland Orchestra in 1995, she was a member of the Toronto Symphony (Canada). As a soloist, she has been featured at the Aspen Music Festival (with Apollo's Fire), the Boston Early Music Festival, and the Indianapolis Early Music Series, among others. She can be heard as viola soloist on Apollo's Fire's CD recording of the Brandenburg Concertos, and on CD recordings with the Bach Collegium Japan, the Tokyo Bach-Mozart Ensemble, the Bach Consort (Canada), and the Saito Kinen Festival Orchestra. She is also a member of the Amici String Quartet and the former concertmaster of CityMusic Cleveland.

Clarinetist Daniel Gilbert, an in-demand soloist, chamber musician, and teacher, joined the faculty at the University of Michigan as Associate Professor of Clarinet in 2007. Previously, he held the position of Second Clarinet in The Cleveland Orchestra from 1995 to 2007. A native of New York City, Mr. Gilbert received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Yale University and both a Master of Music degree and Professional Studies Certificate from The Juilliard School. Before joining The Cleveland Orchestra, Mr. Gilbert was an active freelancer in New York City, appearing regularly with groups including, The Metropolitan Opera, American Ballet Theater, New Jersey Symphony, Solisti New York, the Stamford Symphony and the New Haven Symphony, where he played principal clarinet from 1992 to 1995. Mr. Gilbert was a member of the Quintet of the Americas in 1994-1995. The group toured throughout the United States and was in residence at Northwestern University.

The Kent State University Performing Arts Box Office is located in the Center for the Performing Arts at 1325 Theatre Drive, Kent Campus and is open from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Patrons can purchase tickets in advance three ways: in-person, by calling 330-672-2787 (ARTS), or online at www.kent.edu/music/buy-tickets. Tickets are $15, adults; $13, seniors and Kent State University faculty and staff; $10, groups of 10 or more; $8, non-Kent State students and Kent State students ineligible for the Fee for Free; and FREE for full-time Kent State undergraduate students and those 18 and under. Tickets will also be available at the door one hour prior to the performance.

About the School of Music

The Hugh A. Glauser School of Music at Kent State University, nestled in beautiful and vibrant Kent, Ohio, is one of the most distinguished schools of music in the Midwest. For over 100 years, the School of Music has nurtured the next generation of music educators, performing artists and scholars. We offer some of the most comprehensive and innovative degree programs in the country, with an emphasis on experiential learning, quality scholarship and immersive technical training. Students enrolled in our programs can expect a warm and supportive environment where fostering professional growth and personal development is a priority. Our graduates have gone on to have successful careers in music education, music performance, scholarly research, higher education and administration.

During the summer, the School of Music hosts the Kent Blossom Music Festival in cooperation with The Cleveland Orchestra and Blossom Music Center. The festival is regarded as one of the premier centers for professional music training for young artists in the United States. Now entering its 51st season in 2019, alumni hold positions of prominence in many of the world's finest orchestras, chamber ensembles and educational institutions.