Thursday Musical Artist Series

**on Zoom

Tickets $15

Link will be provided to the Zoom event 24 hours before.

Beethoven Piano Sonata Op 111                                Ludwig van Beethoven (1776-1827)

II.  Arietta: Adagio             

Ann DuHamel, piano 

Prelude in G-sharp minor, Op. 32, No. 12                 Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873-1943)

Widmung       Robert Schumann (1810-1856)

trans. Clara Wieck Schumann (1819-1896)

Finale from The Symphonic Etudes                Robert Schumann       

An Improvisation on Brother James’s Air                           Robert Koopmann

Capriccio in G Minor, Opus 116, No. 3                     Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)

Robert Koopmann, piano

Octogenarian Piano Music              Peter Arnstein

Jazz Cloud no. 1  A Hint of Prokofiev

Jazz Cloud no. 2  Traumerei

Scriabinesque no. 4

Scriabinesque no. 1

Scriabinesque no. 3

Jazz Cloud no. 3  House Wrapped in Ice, as in 'Dr. Zhivago'

Jazz Cloud no. 4  Mozart Through the Looking Glass

Salve for Cataclysms of 2020

Improvisation on Schubert Impromptu op. 142 no. 3

Peter Arnstein, piano

Pianist Ann DuHamel’s performances have been praised as poetic and “… a delight for the ears and the soul” (Encuentro Universitario Internacional de Saxofón, Mexico City). She’s performed in sixteen countries, including concerts at Sala Verdi in Milan, Italy; Trinity College in Oxford, England; and Carnegie Weill Recital Hall in New York. Her first album, "Rückblick: New Piano Music Inspired by Brahms," features works she commissioned from Marc Chan, Luke Dahn, Joseph Dangerfield, Jocelyn Hagen, and Edie Hill, and is slated for a November 2020 release on the Furious Artisans label.

In demand as a collaborative pianist, Ann has performed chamber music with members of both the Minnesota Orchestra and the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, as well as with Martha Councell-Vargas, flute; Preston Duncan, saxophone; Maria Jette, soprano; and Clara Presser, mezzo-soprano. Her performance at Weill Recital Hall with ensemble: Périphérie was hailed by the New York Concert Review as “outstanding,” praising the group of “superb musicians” who “played with power and assurance.” Her latest project, “Prayers for a Feverish Planet,” expands and revolutionizes the modern piano recital. Featuring new works about the climate crisis, this music asks urgent questions of the listener: How do our actions affect positive change for the environment? How can we live more mindfully and conscientiously as global citizens? What sustainable impact can we create for generations to come? More at: annduhamel.com. 

Fr. Robert Koopmann, O.S.B., Professor of Music and President Emeritus, has been on the faculty of Saint John’s University and The College of Saint Benedict since 1975, teaching piano, music literature, and courses on creativity and the creative process.  He has performed as a piano soloist and accompanist throughout the USA and abroad, including 20 states, Japan, China, Europe, South Africa, Chile, Kenya, and Tanzania.  He has released seven albums of classical piano and improvisations.   His doctorate is from the University of Iowa, with post-doctoral work with faculty from The Royal Academy (London) and The Juilliard School (New York).  Father Bob was president of Saint John’s University from 2009 until 2012.  Recent concerts include performances in New York City, six Japanese cities, Wilmar, MN, Madison, WI, and Dubuque, IA.

Dr. Peter Arnstein is well known in the Twin Cities area as a pianist and composer. He has often served as pianist and harpsichordist with the Minnesota Orchestra, and has accompanied many members of the Twin Cities’ two main orchestras and college music faculties. A winner of international competitions in both composition and piano, he has toured the Midwest as pianist and composer-in-residence for the Sylmar Chamber Ensemble and currently teaches at the St. Paul Conservatory of Music and the Mt. Calvary School of Music. He has performed many times at the Edinburgh Festival in Scotland as both piano soloist and harpsichord soloist. His CDs include programs from his own solo piano concerts, including Live from Edinburgh, Live from Illinois, and Live from B.C. His latest CD is Serenity 2, which includes many of his own compositions. He received his doctorate from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, his Master’s from the University of Illinois-Urbana, and his Bachelor’s from the Manhattan School of Music. His music is published by Manduca Music Publications in the United States and by Spartan Press in Europe. Recently he participated in the Nautilus composer/librettist program, for which he wrote five song/theater scenes in two weeks, working with five different authors. He has also written liner notes for music CDs, science articles for ehow.com, classical music articles for examiner.com, and, sometimes, short stories and novels.