Upcoming Piano Concerts at Bjorklunden

Lawrence University’s Bjorklunden is featuring two piano concerts in the upcoming weeks, the first being held on Tuesday, August 18 at 7:30 pm. The program is a variety of original compositions for piano by Allen Bonde, with guest pianist Maria Bonde.

Allen Bonde’s life has been filled with music. By the age of six he was playing with polka bands in his native Wisconsin. After receiving a bachelor’s degree from Lawrence University, he earned a master’s degree in music at Catholic University – and went on to receive the first Doctor of Musical Arts degree awarded by that university. A prolific composer, he has been widely commissioned and recorded, and his compositions have been performed throughout the world by such notables as the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and the New York Philharmonic brass principals. Bonde’s wife, Maria, has performed numerous piano duo recitals with Allen in the United States as well as internationally.

Another piano concert is scheduled for Thursday, September 1 at 7:30 pm. The Arcos Trio, comprised of Seunghee Lee, Carl Donakowski and Anthony Padilla, will be performing.

Arcos Trio concerts blend a re-exploration of the classics with performances of lesser-known works and the music of our own time, particularly emphasizing works by American, Latin American and women composers. Arcos Trio members Lee (a professor at Central Michigan University), Donakowski (associate professor of cello and head of the string section at James Madison University), and Padilla (professor of piano and chamber music at Lawrence University Conservatory of Music in Appleton) have performed together in the United States and abroad since 1994. Their first CD featuring works by American women composers Joan Tower, Ellen Taaffe Zwilich, and Amy Beach was just released in the fall of 2008 by White Pine Music.

Both concerts are free and open to the public. For more information call 920.854.2216.