OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY
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CORVALLIS, Ore. – Sisters Rachelle and Robin McCabe will perform a duo piano concert at 4 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 23 in the LaSells Stewart Center on the Oregon State University campus in Corvallis.
The performance, presented by the School of Arts and Communication in the College of Liberal Arts at OSU, is the sisters’ first in Corvallis in several years.
Seattle natives Rachelle and Robin McCabe each began to study piano at the age of six. After attending the University of Washington as undergraduates, they both went on to advanced study at The Juilliard School in New York.
Robin McCabe continued on at Juilliard, pursuing her doctoral degree and Rachelle McCabe chose to complete her doctorate at the University of Michigan. During their more than 30 years as artist-teachers – Robin McCabe at the University of Washington and Rachelle McCabe at Oregon State University – they have treasured their occasions to perform together.
“We're so attuned to the way the other plays,” Robin said. “We each know how the other will end a phrase or curve a line. We can read each other.”
Rachelle describes playing with Robin as “...a conversation between two people, but the two people are sisters who know each other inside and out. There is a lot of intuition, trust, love and respect.”
Performing on two concert grand pianos, the McCabe sisters will open with one of the most revered works written for two pianos, “Variations on a Theme of Haydn, op. 56b” by Johannes Brahms.
Rounding out the first half, and joining in the global "Bernstein at 100" celebration marking the 100th birthday of Leonard Bernstein, the McCabes will present a popular and energizing arrangement of
“Symphonic Dances from West Side Story.”
The second half of the concert will begin with the rhythms, colors and dark harmonies of Andalusian folk music, as the McCabes perform "Three Andalusian Dances" by Manuel Infante. Andalusia is a large area bordering Spain’s southern coast, famous for flamenco, fiestas, bullfighting and for inspiring numerous writers, poets, painters and composers.
The concert finale will be a fantasy on beloved songs from George Gershwin's “Porgy and Bess,” including “My Man's Gone Now,” “Summertime,” and “I Got Plenty O' Nuttin'.”
The LaSells Stewart Center is located at 875 SW 26th St. Tickets are $10 in advance or $15 at the door with open seating. Youth eight through 18 and OSU students with ID will be admitted for free. To purchase tickets in advance, visit https://liberalarts.oregonstate.edu/performance-and-visual-arts-events or call 541-737-5592.
SAC Presents participates in Corvallis Arts for All. If tickets remain on the evening of the performance, individuals in the SNAP program with an Oregon Trail Card may purchase up to two tickets at $5 each starting one hour prior to each performance. Call for availability.
For more information and for accommodations for people with disabilities, call 541-737-5592.
This performance is funded in part by donations made during the Cornerstone Campaign for the Arts and by OSU Friends of the Arts.
About the OSU College of Liberal Arts: The College of Liberal Arts encompasses seven distinct schools, as well as several interdisciplinary initiatives, that focus on humanities, social sciences, and fine and performing arts. Curriculum developed by the college’s nationally and internationally-renowned faculty prepares students to approach the complex problems of the world ethically and thoughtfully, contributing to a student's academic foundation and helping to build real-world skills for a 21st century career and a purposeful life.
Erin Sneller, 541-737-5592, [email protected]
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