Theme: "Composing for the Piano"
Saturday, September 23
9 AM to 1 PM in Glidden Recital Hall
Ohio University
Athens, OH
OhioMTA Commissioned Composer of the Year, Dr. Robert McClure, composition faculty in the School of Music, will talk about his work "Celestial Miniatures." This is the piece he has written as a result of the OhioMTA commission, and it is dedicated to pianist Dr. Emely Phelps.
Pianist Emely Phelps will perform excerpts from McClure's new work as part of the presentation. The premiere of the full work will be at the Ohio MTA state conference in Columbus, Friday, October 13th at 1:30pm. For more info visit https://ohiomta.org/conference-2023
We will learn from Katherine Fisher and her most recent work dedicated to creativity and composition for intermediate students. Fisher is the co-author of the well-known piano method Piano Safari.
Glidden Recital Hall Presentations are free and open to the public.
Conference schedule:
9:00 AM - Cultivating Creative Composers by Katherine Fisher
10:10 AM - Insights on “Celestial Miniatures.” Presentation by Robert McClure, piano excerpts performed by Emely Phelps
11:20 - OU MTNA Collegiate Chapter brief talk
11:30-11:50am Break with snacks
11:50-12:40am District business meeting
ROBERT MCCLURE
Associate Professor of Composition/Theory
Robert McClure’s music attempts to discover beauty in unconventional places using non-traditional means. Visual art, poetry, the natural world, neurological and mathematical concepts are all elements that influence McClure’s works. His work has been featured at festivals including NYCEMF, the Beijing Modern Music Festival, the Toronto International Electroacoustic Symposium, SEAMUS, IDRS, ISCM, and ICMC.
EMELY PHELPS
Artist-Teacher of Piano; Co-Chair, Keyboard Division; Chair, Graduate Collaborative Piano Degree Program
Recently appointed Artist-Teacher of Piano at Ohio University, pianist Emely Phelps enjoys a multifaceted career as a soloist, chamber musician and teacher. Praised by the Boston Globe for her “fleet, energetic, and bright-toned” playing, Emely made her solo orchestral debut with the National Symphony Orchestra as the grand prizewinner of their Young Soloists Competition, and has since been a featured soloist with the Las Colinas Symphony Orchestra, Washington Metropolitan Philharmonic, Little River Symphony, McLean Symphony, and the Montgomery Symphony Orchestra.
KATHERINE FISHER
Katherine Fisher is co-author of the innovative and critically-acclaimed Piano Safari Method ( www.pianosafari.com ), which is used by piano students and teachers around the globe. Katherine is a member of the Fisher Piano Duo with her husband, Dr. Christopher Fisher. The duo has performed throughout the United States and United Kingdom. They are co-authors of the revised and expanded edition of Piano Duet Repertoire (Indiana University Press, 2016).
Katherine is an active member of the Music Teachers National Association.
Ohio Music Teachers Association Southeast District has a small but dedicated membership. The South East District includes the counties: Athens, Washington, Morgan, Hocking, Meigs, Gallia, Jackson, Scioto, Pike, Ross, Lawrence and Vinton.
Many of our events are held on the Ohio University campus in Athens and on the Marietta College campus in Marietta as well as other venues in the area.
Our association provides performance opportunities for music students and learning opportunities for music teachers. We offer a Pop Music Showcase event or a Sonatina Festival event in early Spring.