Pianist Alexandre Dossin, University of Oregon, presents a program of piano music by 20th century American composer George Walker in his program "Piano Soundscapes: a Musical Journey."
Program
Piano Music by George Walker (1922-2018)
Piano Soundscapes: a musical journey
1940s
Prelude and Caprice (1941-1945)
1950s
Variations on a Kentucky Folk Song
Sonata no. 2 (1956)
1960s
Spatials (1960)
1970s
Spektra (1970)
-Intermission-
Sonata no. 3 (1976)
1980s
Guido’s Hand (1986)
2000s
Sonata no. 5 (2003)
Biographies
Alexandre Dossin
Considered by Martha Argerich an “extraordinary musician” and by the international critic a “phenomenon,” “a master of contrasts” and “a stunning pianist with a symbiotic relationship with the instrument," Steinway Artist Alexandre Dossin keeps an active performing, recording, and teaching careers.
Alexandre Dossin is a graduate of the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory (Russia) and holds a doctorate from the University of Texas at Austin (USA). He was assistant of Sergei Dorensky at the Tchaikovsky Conservatory and Willliam Race and Gregory Allen at UT-Austin.
A prizewinner in several international piano competitions, Dossin received the First Prize and the Special Prize at the 2003 Martha Argerich International Piano Competition in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Other international awards include the Silver Medal and second Honorable Mention in the Maria Callas Grand Prix, and the Third Prize and Special Prize in the Mozart International Piano Competition, in addition to several prizes in Brazil.
An active recording artist, his performances are featured in over 15 recordings released with several labels, including 7 CDs with Naxos and 6 editions/recordings for Schirmer. Dossin’s edition and recording of complete piano sonatas by W. A. Mozart (2-volume edition and recordings, Schirmer Performance Editions) was released in December of 2023.
Upcoming releases in 2024 include the complete piano works by George Walker in 2 CDs with Naxos. This will be included in the label’s prestigious American Classics Series and will present the world premiere of Bauble and the first recording of the piano concerto in more than ten years. This release will be followed by a performance edition of the same works published by Keiser Southern Music. Soloist appearances in 2023-2024 include Eugene Symphony, Austin Symphony, Porto Alegre Symphony (Brazil), and the West Coast premiere of George Walker’s piano concerto with the University of Oregon Philharmonia, in addition to performances in Italy, the UK and several US states.
Dossin’s work was praised in reviews by Diapason, The Financial Times, Fanfare Magazine, American Record Guide, Clavier, and other international publications.
Conductors with whom Dossin has performed include Charles Dutoit, Isaac Karabtchevsky, and Michael Gielen, with orchestras such as the Buenos Aires Philharmonic, Brazilian National Symphony, Mozarteum University Symphony, and Tchaikovsky Conservatory Symphony. Dossin performed numerous live recitals for public radio in Wisconsin and Illinois, including repeated appearances at the Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concert Series in Chicago. Dossin has performed in international festivals in Japan, Canada, the United States, and Argentina, on some occasions sharing the stage with Martha Argerich.
Dossin is the Vice-President of the American Liszt Society, president of its Oregon Chapter and is one of the recipients of the prestigious Faculty Fund for Excellence at the University of Oregon. He is a Professor of Piano and the chair of the keyboard area at the University of Oregon School of Music and Dance, where he keeps a studio of advanced pianists from several countries. Dossin is listed in Who's Who in America and Who's Who Am
George Walker
George Theophilus Walker (June 27, 1922 – August 23, 2018) was an American composer, pianist, and organist and the first African American to win the Pulitzer Prize for Music, which he received for his work Lilacs in 1996. Walker was first exposed to music at the age of five when he began to play the piano. He was admitted to the Oberlin Conservatory at fourteen, and later to the Curtis Institute of Music to study piano with Rudolf Serkin, chamber music with William Primrose and Gregor Piatigorsky, and composition with Rosario Scalero, teacher of Samuel Barber. He received his doctorate from the Eastman School of Music at the University of Rochester. Walker taught at Rutgers University in New Jersey for several years, retiring in 1992.
Walker's first major orchestral work was the Address for Orchestra. His Lyric for Strings is his most performed orchestral work. He composed many works including five sonatas for piano, a mass, cantata, many songs, choral works, organ pieces, sonatas for cello and piano, violin and piano and viola and piano, a brass quintet and a woodwind quintet. He published over 90 works and received commissions from the New York Philharmonic, Boston Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra, and many other ensembles. He was the recipient of six honorary doctoral degrees.