CORNING – University of Iowa will be performing chamber music 7 p.m. Monday, May 14, at Corning Opera House. Plus, the opera house will be having a grand reveal of their Yamaha grand piano. Admission is “pay what you are able” or a food pantry item. No reserved seating for this event.
The chamber music will consist of Dohnanyi Piano Quintet (2 violins, viloa, cello piano), Dvorak “American” Quartet arranged for wind quintet (flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, horn) and Vaughan Williams Piano Quintet (violin viola, cello, bass, piano).
The Mìre Quartet, formed in August 2016, have been very active in the University of Iowa string chamber music program. The members include first violinist Maia Hove, second violinist Ashley Chong, violist Joanna Held and cellist Rachel Gibbons. Outside of the quartet, members have been active participants in numerous festivals and have won many accolades.
Based in downtown Iowa City, the Wild Prairie Winds are a quintet of dedicated young musicians from all around the globe. They seek out music that celebrates the rich cultural and musical heritage of the Upper Midwest, as well as performing standards and hidden gems of the wind quintet repertoire. Their current program centers around a transcription of Dvoák’s American quartet, written in 1893 in the Czech immigrant community of Spillville.
Albion 5 was established in January 2018 and have accumulated recognition from University of Iowa and the Iowa City area. Bringing expertise from around the world, this graduate ensemble has immersed itself into the U of I’s string quartet residency program, receiving master classes and coaching from faculty at the U of I School of Music.
Joseph Stiefel began taking informal piano lessons at age 6 in his rural hometown of Victor. He outgrew this teacher by middle school, but continued making music out of love and enjoyment until he met Réne Lecuona, professor of piano at the U of I’s summer piano camp. Studying privately with Lecuona during his final two years of high school and subsequently entering her studio as an undergraduate student at U of I sparked what can only be described as a musical explosion in his life akin to the Big Bang. He will graduate in May 2018 with a Bachelor of music with honors in piano performance and a Bachelor of Arts in mathematics, and he will begin pursuing a Master’s degree in piano performance in the fall. A highlight of his solo career was performing six solo recitals across the Netherlands as part of the International Holland Music Sessions in August 2017.
The Corning Opera House received grants from Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs and Adams Community Foundation to purchase a Yamaha baby grand piano. This will be the first time the piano will be performed publicly.
The opera house is located at 800 Davis Ave., in Corning. For other information on opera house activities, search the website at www.corningoperahouse.com or call Executive Director De Heaton at 641-418-8037.