PCC Piano Ensembles present "Shall We Dance?"

Shall We Dance? - Sway with Southern Flair: From Habanera to Tango

Music written for or inspired by dances, from Europe to Latin America

Including works by Bizet, Chabrier, Milhaud, Saint-Saëns, Ravel, Lecuona, Norton, Solare, and Piazzolla,

Featuring students from Piano Ensemble Class

Instructors: Wen-Ting Huang and Kristi Lobitz.

This performance is presented to satisfy a portion of the requirements for Piano Ensemble (MUSC 043).

ENSEMBLES FOR PIANISTS AT PASADENA CITY COLLEGE -

Piano studies have had a long and rich tradition at Pasadena City College. One of the names that graces this recital hall is Adrienne Westerbeck, generous benefactor to the college and a former piano instructor at PCC. In addition to teaching the solo classical piano repertoire, PCC has always encouraged pianists to make music in ensembles. In 1981, Mary Hense started a piano ensemble class that offered piano duets and piano duos instruction, not only for piano performance majors, but also for those amateur pianists who had their first experience with the instrument in class piano (Music 41A) and continued through the sequence of four semesters of class piano. Laraine Stivers-Madden started a Piano Accompanying class some ten years later to teach pianists, singers and instrumentalists the art of collaboration with the rich repertoire of art songs and instrumental sonatas.

The ensemble program for pianists continues to flourish today. Students who have taken piano ensemble have won prizes from both local piano ensemble competitions (Fullerton Piano Ensemble Festival-Grand Prize) and internationally at the Piano 6/8 Hand Competition in Marktoberdorf, Germany. Former students of the Piano Accompanying class have pursued graduate degrees in Piano Accompanying and are working as professional collaborative pianists.

Tonight you will hear the present generation of pianists at PCC- some with only four semesters of class piano and some preparing to transfer as piano performance majors to prestigious four-year universities and conservatories. All the students share a love for the piano and find joy in collaborating with each other.

PROGRAM:

ENSEMBLE DIRECTORS -

Combing flamboyance and elegance, pianist Wen-Ting Huang presents a dynamic force in Southern California’s classical music scene, weaving a narrative of international musical exploration. Trained at the prestigious Hochschule für Musik und darstellende Kunst in Vienna and mentored by the legendary Menahem Pressler, she developed a profound affinity for chamber music. Her journey led her from Vienna, Paris to the United States, where she earned her doctoral degree from the Jacobs School of Music in Indiana Bloomington.

Dr. Huang's achievement highlights include performing at the gala concert of Junior Original Composition Yamaha in Japan at the age of 9, entering the University for Music and Performing Arts in Vienna at 15, winning the National Excellence Award of Young Artistic Talents in Taiwan, receiving the Scholarship Award from the Austrian Ministry of Science and Research, triumphing at the Chesapeake Chamber Music Competition, and appointment of a residency with the Felici Trio, an ensemble-in-residence monitored by the National Endowments for the Arts.

As collaborative artist, Dr. Huang performs with musicians from the LA Philharmonic, LA Chamber Orchestra, Hong Kong Philharmonic, and Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra. Her commitment to music education extends to adjudication, workshops, and festival organization. As the branch director for Junior Chamber Music in the Inland Empire, she passionately cultivates emerging young talents. Balancing her roles as a performer and educator, she imparts her knowledge as a faculty member at Cal State University San Bernardino and Pasadena City College. Her student succeeded in national and international piano competitions, college acceptances, and professional careers.

Pianist Kristi Lobitz has distinguished herself as an exceptional artist. She has drawn warm plaudits from audiences in England, Canada, Mexico and Hawaii. Her numerous local appearances have included solo performances with the Conejo Valley Symphony of Thousand Oaks, the El Camino College Symphony, and Pasadena’s Repertoire Chamber Orchestra. Ms. Lobitz received her education at California Lutheran University, California State University, Northridge, and the University of Southern California and her teachers have included Robert Turner, James Bonn and Jakob Gimpel. She also attended Schiller College in Berlin, and studied there with Hans-Erich Riebensahm, a long-time faculty member of the Berlin Conservatory.

The first prize winner of the National Recording Competition, sponsored by the Music Teachers’ National Association, Ms. Lobitz has served as pianist at the well known Interlochen Arts Camp in Michigan. She has appeared multiple times as both soloist and collaborative performer on the Artist-In-Residence recital series at El Camino College and on the Visiting Artist series at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. She has been featured as Convention Artist for the Music Association of California Community Colleges aboard the Queen Mary in Long Beach. Internationally, she has lectured and presented master classes in Tokyo for the Piano Teachers Guild of Japan.

Ms. Lobitz is also active in the Music Teachers Association of California, and served for ten years as Southern California chair for the highly regarded MTAC State Piano Concerto and Solo Competitions. She now serves as both Pasadena branch chair and regional chair of the Southern California Junior Bach Festival, and maintains a private piano studio in Pasadena where she has coached award winning students. Ms. Lobitz is currently adjunct professor of piano at Pasadena City College and Loyola Marymount University.