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Catch A Rising Star - Student Concert - Jan 29 at 6:30 pm
January 25th, 2010 by admin

Daniel Qiang—-9 years old
He has won first place award in last three years, First year in level 7, Second year in level 9 and third year in level 11 at Central Washington University  Sonata-Sonatino Festival, and Excellence award at Washington State Music Teacher Association Adjudications, and he also got first trophy at National Federation of Music Clubs.

1—Sonata in D minor L.422  by Domenico  Scarlatti (5:20)
2—Etude Op.10, no.3  by F.Chopin (4:28)
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Deborah Lee—-11years old
She has won first place for Level 6 at Sonata-Sonatina Festival in last year.She practices 2 hours a day.
1—Nocturne in E flat major Op,9.no.1 (4:50)
2—Muzurka in G minor Op.24, no.1(2:15)
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 Vanessa Ma—-11 years old
She received two first, one second and one third place awards at CWU festival and her first and second Trophies at NFMC Festival.
1—Sonata in D major by Mateo Albeniz (3:14)
2—Valse posth. by F Chopin (3:24)
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Cindy Kuang—-11 years old
She has received first place at CWU Festival
1—Polonaises in C# minor Op.26, no.1 (7:30)
2—Salta,Salta by Octavio Pinto (0:58)
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Jason Dan—-11 years old
He is a student of Eckstein Middle School. His the pianist for Eckstein Junior and Senior Orchestras. In 2007 and 2008,Jason gavmore than ten piano performances to different senior centers and nursing homes in Seattle.In 2007, he represented Seattle Public Schools and gave a piano performance at Washington State Rotaty Associayion. He has received two first place awards atCWU Festival and got first trophy at NFMC Festival.

1—Fantasia in D minor TWV33:2 by Georg Philpp Telemann (3:31)
2—Dreams Op. 88, no.1 by Dmitri Kabalevsky (2:30)
3—Sonata in D major Hob.XVI:37 I movement by Franz Joseph Haydn (4:02)
4—Nocturne in C# minor (Posth.) by F Chopin (4:30)
5—Etude Op. 25, no.12, by F chopin (2:40)
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Judy Zhou—-13 years old
She has receiced her first and second Trophies at NFMC Festival and passed the ABRSM exam.
Polonaise F#minor Op.44 (11:30)

Kenya Piano Project Sends 8th Container of 40 pianos to Kenya December 2009
January 25th, 2010 by admin

We did it, another 40 pianos sent to Kenya! Thank you to everyone who donated their pianos to this project. These pianos will be refinished and restored as needed in Kenya, and sold into loving homes and schools and other institutions, bringing both jobs and music to Kenya where it wouldn’t have been without this wonderful project.

Chris Davis accompanies Brie Lobbett, Mark Leuning, Ev Merrienne, and solos
January 25th, 2010 by admin

Thanks to Chris Davis for returning for his 4th concert (and Brie for her second) in our well received concert series, bringing new and ever fascinating repertoire, this time accompanying 3 beautiful and exquisitely trained voices, with an excellent mixture of different pieces sung both solo and in different combinations. They also added a bit of humor with some musical theater. Complementing the voice performances, he added exciting classical repertoire as always. We look forward to having these skilled musicians back for more in the future. With 30 eager listeners in the audience, this concert was certainly warmly received.

Wayne Johnson Concert and Slide Show Presentation - Excellent
January 17th, 2010 by admin

Today we took a journey back in time with Wayne Johnson, directly to a rich part of American history and especially it’s musical history, the Roaring 20’s and continuing into the difficult 30’s. Through the eyes of music we were transported back to this very unique time, where our American music was being influenced by none other than the genius of George Gershwin, and some of his important contemporaries.

It seems to be a crowd favorite at Northwest Pianos when the musician includes talks about the music, the history, the stories. The musical experience becomes even more intimate, and we are left only wanting to hear more - more music and the delicious tales that describe the life that went into the creation of the music of the era.

In addition to being a wonderful story teller, replete with fascinating slides, history, and endless interesting details, Wayne is an outstanding pianist, performing music that combines complex technique with rockin’ rhythms of stride and jazz. His skill was relaxed, so one was taken beyond the performance and into the music, easily forgetting the difficulty of the music which Gershwin himself composed, as well as Lightning Fingers Billy Mayerl, Lothar Perl, Ernesto Nazareth, and others. This was truly an exceptional evening, leaving around 50 people only ready for more, and looking forward to a future evening by Wayne.

by - The NWP Concert Reviewer

Wayne Johnson Bio and Reviews - Jan 16, 2010 Concert
January 12th, 2010 by admin

Pianist Wayne Johnson has appeared as soloist, accompanist and chamber musician throughout the United States, and has performed in Canada, Europe, and South America. In the early 1970’s he was the featured piano soloist with the famed U.S. Army Field Band and Soldier’s Chorus. Since moving to the west coast, he has performed regularly as recitalist and lecturer in community and university arts events, and has appeared numerous times on Seattle’s KING FM radio as guest artist. He has also written feature articles for publications such as Clavier magazine and American Music Teacher’s Journal.  Johnson is currently Professor of Piano and Music History and Chairman of Keyboard Studies at Seattle Pacific University. He holds both the Master’s and Doctor of Musical Arts Degrees in Piano Performance from the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. His major teachers have included Raymond Dudley and Lee Luvisi; he had additional studies and master classes with Jorge Bolet, Gina Bachauer, and others.

Since 1990, Dr. Johnson has been closely associated with the piano music of the remarkable northwest composer Alan Hovhaness (1911-2000). He premiered a number of new works of Hovhaness at regional and national venues, and in 1992 recorded a compact disc of the composer’s piano works on the Crystal label. In 2000, Johnson released a second CD called “Salon Classics from the Golden Age of the Piano” which included neglected gems from the Romantic era-charming and nostalgic music intended for the intimacy of the salon setting. His current program, “Keyboard Wizards of the Gershwin Era” features virtuoso song transcriptions and “novelty” music from the 1920’s and 30’s as represented by George Gershwin, Billy Mayerl, Dana Suesse, Adam Carroll, Ernesto Nazareth, Lothar Perl, and others of this post-ragtime era.

“As a pianist and performer, Dr. Johnson ranks among the top two or three artists living in Seattle. He plays with a technical competence and with a musical maturity that sets the leading artists apart from the rest.”
–Raymond Davis, Principal Cello, Seattle Symphony

“It’s dangerous to tell a pianist he’s all thumbs. But we hand out two for a recital Sunday at the McClelland Arts Center. Seattle pianist Wayne Johnson transported about 200 listeners back to America’s “Guilded Age” in his recital called “Salon Classics from the Golden Age of the Piano,” a collection of sentimental, jocular and boisterous pieces from the 19th century…for this delightful trip back in time, we give two thumbs up!”
—The Daily News, January 19, 2002, Longview, Washington

 
 
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