The annual Foothills Piano Festival is back this semester with several concerts on the schedule. The festival, which is organized by JSU Piano Faculty Dr. Wendy Freeland, is in its twelfth year of bringing talented pianists to JSU.

In 2007, Dr. Freeland created the festival to “expose both JSU music students and members of the community to the wonderful repertoire for classical piano.” Over the years, it has grown from a three to four day event to a longer format including different events.  “Over the years we’ve featured many solo piano recitals,” Dr. Freeland says. “But we have also had other types of concerts where the piano isn’t the prime focus, such as performances of Avant Garde, jazz, and chamber music.”

The festival has also started including workshops and masterclasses in addition to concerts, which address issues of interest to all musicians. These masterclasses, Dr. Freeland says, “are live lessons where students perform and then are coached by a guest teacher.”

In addition, there are also special activities for younger musicians. One past event was a “Baroque day” where the festival held a “gameshow-like event called ‘Baroque or Bust’ that quizzed piano students on their knowledge of the Baroque Period, students got to play a harpsichord, and a recital was performed by Anna Magdalena Bach, Johann Sebastian Bach’s wife (a harpsichordist specializing in music of this period portrayed her).”

On Sunday, September 22^nd, Dr. Freeland performed with Dr. Nancy Elton for the festival’s first concert of the semester. They performed works by Ravel and Debussy along with Rachmaninoff’s Suite No. 1. The next concert will be on October 22^nd and will feature Dr. Adam Bowles performing a program of newly-composed music by Alabamian composers. Each event is free and open to the public!

Oct. 22^nd, 7:30 PM

Adam Bowles in recital

First United Methodist Church of Anniston

Feb. 20^th, 7:30 PM

Cynthia MacCrae in recital

Jacksonville State University’s Mason Recital Hall

February 21^st, 1:45 PM

Cynthia MacCrae in lecture presentation

Jacksonville State University’s Mason Recital Hall

April 17^th, 4:00 PM

Robert Carl Smith Piano Masterclass

Jacksonville State University’s Mason Recital Hall

April 18^th, 3:00 PM

Rachel Park and Robert Carl Smith in recital

First United Methodist Church of Anniston

For more information, visit https://www.facebook.com/FoothillsPIanoFestival/