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Pitt-Johnstown Faculty Member to Perform in Piano Masters Series

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Pitt-Johnstown Faculty Member to Perform in Piano Masters Series

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Dr. Jonathan Gonder, University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs, will perform at 3 p.m. Sunday, February 12, on the Mainstage of the Pasquerilla Performing Arts Center on the UPJ campus.

Dr. Gonder is the second performer in the Piano Masters Series that features outstanding musical scholars, who are virtuoso performers and multi-faceted educators, who bring their showmanship and insight to a varied, exciting series of concerts.

Dr. Gonder’s program will include works by J.S. Bach’s Concerto in the Italian Style, B.W.V. 971, (Allegro moderato), Andante, Presto; Beethoven’s Thirty-two Variations in C minor, WoO 80; Chopin’s Nocturne in F-sharp major, Op. 15 No. 2; Ginastera’s Sonata No. 1 in A minor, Op. 22, Allegro marcato, Presto misterioso, Adagio molto appassionato, Ruvido ed ostinato; Ravel’s Jeux d’eau, and Chopin’s Ballade No. 4 in F minor, Op. 52.

A native of Toronto, Canada, he began piano studies at age seven.  His initial university education took place at the University of Western Ontario, where he earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in piano performance, with minors in choral conducting and music theory.  He subsequently studied with renowned French pianist Marcel Ciampi before progressing to his doctorate in piano performance at the University of Michigan; his teacher there was the celebrated and widely-recorded pianist Gyorgy Sandor.

As a young pianist, Dr. Gonder regularly competed in music competitions at the national and international levels.  He was winner or runner-up in the all-province music competitions three times as an undergraduate student, was winner of the Southeast Regional Music Competition (with contestants from six states), and was a finalist in the William S. Boyd International Piano Competition.

He has often been recognized with both academic and performance awards.  Included are two gold medals, one for the highest graduating average in his bachelor’s degree, and one for the highest performance grade received across Canada in his Associateship performer’s diploma.  He was one of only 100 students nationwide, and the only performing musician, to receive a prestigious Special M.A. Scholarship for graduate study from the Canada Council, the equivalent of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

As a performer, Dr. Gonder has presented solo concerts, concerto performances with orchestra, chamber music, accompaniments, and piano duo concerts.  He has appeared on national television and radio in Canada, on NPR in the U.S., and has performed in the United States, Canada, and Europe.  Recent engagements have included performances with the Johnstown Symphony and Livingston Symphony as soloist, solo recitals in Northern Ontario and in Indiana, and on WQED’s Performance in Pittsburgh.  In 2005, he toured western Pennsylvania as part of the Piano Masters series which he founded, a concert series where college and university faculty members perform in several communities in the region.

Having chosen to work as a music professor, throughout his career he has balanced performance activities with academic and administrative duties.  He has held teaching positions in institutions such as the University of Michigan, the University of Oklahoma, the Université canadienne en France, SUNY Sullivan in New York, and Laurentian University in Canada, and has also served in senior administrative positions in both academic and student affairs.

Advanced interviews with the artist may be arranged by calling the Office of Marketing and Public Relations at 814-269-2080.

Tickets may be purchased by calling the ArtsLine at 1-800-846-ARTS from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Mondays through Fridays.  Tickets are $10.  Discount tickets of $8 are being offered to senior citizens (over 65 years of age), students under 18, and members of the Pitt Johnstown community (faculty, staff, students, and card-carrying members Pitt Johnstown Alumni Association).  There is a $2 handling fee per order placed by telephone or mail.  The box office is open for in-person sales from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.  The box office also opens one hour before performances.

The Pasquerilla Performing Arts Center is a multi-purpose facility operated by the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown.  The Arts Center presents a variety of events including musicals, adult and children’s theatre, dance, and musical productions to 12,000 patrons annually.
Posted by Sernell, Jeff on 2/2/2006 12:00:00 PM


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