Piano Showcase continues through June 6

Moegle Takacs Herbein

A special music festival that continues through June 6 is expected to draw students and teachers from throughout the Southeast.

Both a teaching and concert series, the annual Mississippi Piano Showcase "is unique to the region," said event coordinator Duncan Macmillan. Participants are expected from a five-state area, the assistant professor of music education added.

A concert series throughout the week will give participants and the general public opportunities to enjoy performances by guest artists and Mississippi State faculty members.

Also featured will be the Holland Mississippi Artist Concert, which this year features Starkville native Mary Steele Arnold Moegle. The concert is endowed by a gift from Pepper Holland of Starkville in memory of her husband Robert, former head of the English Department.

All performances begin at 7:30 p.m. in the McComas Hall theater. Tickets, which are available at the door, are $25 for the week-long series or $8 for individual performances.

Guest artists and their performances include:

Jacqueline Herbein, June 2. A soloist, ensemble performer and clinician who resides in Pittsburgh, Pa., Herbein in 1995 was voted "best classical instrumental soloist" by "In Pittsburgh" magazine.

Her performance will include selections from Gluck, Beethoven, Rachmaninoff, William Buelow, Brahms, and Debussy.

Peter Takacs, June 3. A native of Romania, Takacs is a professor at Oberlin (Ohio) Conservatory of Music. He has studied at the Conservatoire National de Paris in France and Northwestern University and at the University of Illinois in the United States.

His program includes selections from Schubert, Liszt, Debussy, and Chopin.

Mary Steele Moegle, June 5. Performing as the Holland Mississippi Artist, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John Robert Arnold will present selections from Mozart, Scriabin, Rochberg, Liszt, and Chopin.

Faculty Artists Recital, June 4. The concert features performances by Robert Damm, Jackie Edwards-Henry, Joel Harrison and Macmillan. Included will be selections from Debussy, contemporary composer L. Stephen Sewell, Ravel, Stravinsky, John Cage, and Brahms.

Students in grades 9-12 who participate in the festival spend a week in master classes with the guest artists/clinicians. Their work culminates in a recital June 6 at 10:15 a.m., also in the McComas theater.

An afternoon film series will focus on the video "Freeing the Caged Bird: Developing Well-Coordinated, Injury-Preventive Piano Technique." Developed by Barbara Lister-Sink of Salem College, the presentation deals with cultivating the biomechanics of piano playing.

For more information about the concert series or about teaching activities, contact Macmillan at 325-3070.