Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Gay Anna Santerre Sings With William Chapman Nyaho, Pianist of Ghanaian Heritage, Nov. 15

[ASA: Piano Music by Composers of African Descent; William Chapman Nyaho, piano; MSR Classics MS1242 (2008)]

The Courier-Herald
Bonney Lake & Sumner
Students and music inspire return to perform
Today, 11:18 AM · Updated
By Brenda Sexton
The Courier-Herald
“When Gay Anna Santerre walked away from a successful professional singing career nearly seven years ago, she didn’t leave music completely. It stayed in her heart and she shared it on a smaller stage.” “The music, it’s imagery; the way it can move, energize and influence an audience, it’s pulling her back to perform. Her comeback debut was in September at a concert at Lake Washington United Methodist Church, where her father is the retired minister of music. She joined musical forces, her voice, with pianist and friend William Chapman Nyaho.

It was there that lightning struck. 'It was magic what happened at this concert,' she said. 'It’s meant to be shared.' Nyaho, a concert pianist and adjudicator, brings a unique cultural background and extraordinarily eclectic sense of music to the stage. Nyaho’s performing experience includes recitals in Asia, Africa, Europe, North America, the Caribbean and Washington D.C.’s Kennedy Center.

International award-winning artist Nyaho, a Ghanaian American and resident of Seattle, studied at St. Peter’s College, Oxford University in the United Kingdom. He continued his piano studies at the Conservatoire de Musique de Geneve, Switzerland, the Eastman School of Music and at the University of Texas at Austin, where he received his Doctor of Musical Arts degree. Nyaho is the recipient of prizes from international piano competitions. He performs as soloist with various orchestras, including the Moscow Chamber Orchestra and the San Francisco Chamber Orchestra. Chapman Nyaho has been featured on radio and television broadcasts in Ghana, Switzerland, and on Performance Today on National Public Radio.

“The two-part concert starts with a series of music by Santerre and concludes with works by contemporary composer Lee Hoiby, set to Emily Dickenson poetry. In between the pieces, Santerre and Nyaho share research and history about the composers and the music, as well as what it means to them personally.” [Dr. William Chapman Nyaho is profiled at AfriClassical.com]






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