Pianist Janet Bass Smith, D.M.A., Has Given Four Lecture-Recitals of Music of William Grant Still

[In One Lifetime; Verna Arvey Still]

On March 6, 2011 AfriClassical posted: “BGDaily News: 'In One Lifetime' is 'research for three lecture/performances of Still’s music' by Janet Bass Smith.” The newspaper article stated that pianist Janet Bass Smith was reading Verna Arvey's biography of her husband William Grant Still, In One Lifetime, as research for three lecture-performances of the music of the composer, to be presented this month. Janet Bass Smith promptly informed us that the interview had become outdated. Here are excerpts from her email:

“Actually, the article you posted was not quite accurate. When I was interviewed for the article, it was early February, so the article states that my programs are in the future. They were actually presented the last week of February, and programs were sent to Judith Anne Still on Friday, March 4. The program consisted of a 20-minute lecture on William Grant Still’s life, then the playing of the CD And They Lynched Him On A Tree, and finally my 20-minute performance of several piano works.

“This program was presented October 24, 2010 for the Kentucky Music Teachers Association State Conference in Louisville, Kentucky; February 20 for the Glasgow Musicale in Glasgow, Kentucky; February 22 at Campbellsville University in Campbellsville, Kentucky; and February 24 at Kentucky State University in Frankfort, Kentucky. All programs were well-attended and the music was well-received.”

Janet Bass Smith Bio (Excerpts)

“Janet Bass Smith holds the Doctor of Musical Arts in piano performance from the University of Missouri Kansas City, Conservatory of Music, and has master’s and bachelor’s degrees in piano performance from the University of North Carolina Greensboro and the University of Wyoming (summa cum laude), respectively. She has done advanced study at the Juilliard School of Music and the Eastman School of Music. She has been on the faculty of four different universities, and currently maintains an independent piano studio in Bowling Green, Kentucky.”

“Dr. Smith helped establish the Orchestra Kentucky (formerly the Bowling Green Chamber Orchestra) and was marketing director from 2002 until July 1, 2007. She currently chairs the Orchestra Kentucky marketing committee, is a past president of the board of directors and was principal keyboardist for that orchestra from 2000 to 2006. In 2007 she was given the Conductor’s Award for Extraordinary Service to the BGCO. She also helped establish the Bowling Green String Academy and was the Administrative Director for the first two and one-half years. She is a past president of the Kentucky Music Teachers Association, and was co-editor with her husband of the KMTA Journal, Kentucky Music Teacher. She is currently the president of the Independent Music Teachers Association of Bowling Green.

“Dr. Smith has published articles in several pedagogical journals, holds master teacher certification from MTNA, and in 2000, she received the Teacher of the Year award from the Kentucky Music Teachers Association. Along with Charles, she was awarded the KMTA 2000 Distinguished Service award. She is a church organist, an amateur cellist, an avid caver, and a prize-winning oil painter and poet. In addition, she has been a seasonal park ranger at Mammoth Cave National Park since 1993, and guides all of the cave tours. She is a member of Phi Kappa Phi and Pi Kappa Lambda, Rotary International, and has received numerous awards for scholarship and performance.

“In 2003 Dr. Smith performed a Mozart concerto with an orchestra in St. Petersburg, Russia, and in October, 2008, she and a cellist from Germany presented a very unique concert inside Mammoth Cave. She has performed as a solo pianist and with her husband, Charles, a flutist, throughout the United States and Europe.”