Ruth Steger, Professor Emeritus of Piano
Southeastern Oklahoma State University
Musical Arts Series
Presents
Steger Cultural Exchange Institute
July 13-19, 2003
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Introduction
Mission
The Steger Cultural Exchange Institute is a part of the Steger Piano Institute. The mission of the institute is to promote the study and performance of music for the piano. The goal of the Cultural Exchange Institute is to bring together students and artist teachers of diverse cultural heritage. This is done in order to share both the commonality and diversity of their approaches to music making and to exchange views on the role of the arts in their respective societies. For this summer’s program, we would like to invite students from US, Asia and Europe to attend a weeklong series of masterclasses, lectures, private lessons and recitals.
The Steger Piano Institute is made possible by an endowment presented to Southeastern Oklahoma State University by Mr. And Mrs. Virge Steger in recognition of Mrs. Ruth Steger’s long and distinguished service as Professor of Piano at Southeastern.
Additional local sponsorship has been provided by Mrs. Marilyn Comer.
Southeastern Oklahoma State University
The University is linked by tradition to the geographic region of southeastern Oklahoma and north central Texas. The present student body numbers approximately 4,000 representing 31 states and 20 foreign countries. Located in the southeastern part of Oklahoma in the city of Durant, the University is 15 miles from the Oklahoma-Texas border; 90 miles north of Dallas, Texas; 160 miles southeast of Oklahoma City; and 15 miles east of Lake Texoma (one of the largest man-made lakes in the world with approximately 580 miles of shoreline). The lake area serves more then 5,000,000 visitors annually.
Activities
Masterclasses: There are 2 sessions of 3-hour masterclasses everyday.
Recitals: Concerts are given by artist faculty and also students chosen to participate in an honors recital presented at the conclusion of the Institute. These selected pianists will be chosen by the Director and the artist faculty based upon student performances in the masterclasses.
Private Lessons: Lessons will be arranged upon participant’s request with an additional charge.
Practice: Each student will have scheduled hours of practice time each day.
Lectures: Several lectures will be presented to address issues related to performance practice, literature and technique. Films also will be shown which discuss the legacy of pianism in the past.
Cultural Exploration: Activities include a trip to downtown Dallas to visit the Dallas Arts Museum and attend an evening show. There is also one outdoor gathering at a private ranch to allow the participants to experience life in the wild west.
Faculty
Beatrice Long
Beatrice has received top awards in the Robert Casadesus International Piano Competition, the Young Keyboard Artists Association International Competition, the AMSA World Piano Competition and the Taipei International Piano Competition. She has played to critical acclaim throughout Central America, Southeast Asia, France, Belgium, Switzerland, and the United States. As a recitalist, she appeared in Ravinia and Fontainebleau Festivals. She also performed as a soloist with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Orquesta Sinfónica del Estado de Mexico, National Symphony Orchestra of Taiwan, Taipei City Symphony Orchestra, the Jura Symphony Orchestra of France and the Laredo Philharmonic Orchestra among others. The American Record Guide described her Scriabin Mazurkas disc on Naxos as "impressive on many levels." She is a graduate of Curtis Institute and Peabody Conservatory of Music. Her teachers include Mieczyslaw Horszowski, Leon Fleisher, Fou Ts'ong and Enrique Graf.
Christina has served as Assistant Professor of Piano at Westfield State College in Massachusetts, and Tabor College in Kansas. In addition to holding a Doctor of Musical Arts Degree from the University of North Texas, she has earned the Dissertation Award for Excellence in Musical Performance. Her other awards include the first prizes of Kingsville International Young Performers Competition, Sherman Symphony Orchestra Soloist Competition, top prizes of Midland-Odessa Symphony Orchestra National Young Artist Competition, and Concerto Competition of the Shreveport Symphony Orchestra. Christina has performed in recitals and with orchestras in the United States, Taiwan and Poland where her playing was described as having "dynamic temperament," "unusual elasticity, color, rhythmic clarity and creative fantasy." Also active in contemporary and chamber music she has appeared in the "Basically Beethoven Series" of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, and with the Texas Computer Musicians Network. Her teachers include Adam Wodnicki, Vladimir Viardo, and Lillian Long. She has recorded for Centaur Records. She has recently been commissioned by the Ubiquitous publishing company to translate the book "My Life With Great Pianists" by Franz Mohr.
Born in Taiwan to a musical family, pianists Beatrice and Christina Long have enjoyed distinguished solo careers as well. Hailed recently as artists of "amazing maturity" who play with "splendid balance musically and physically," the Long sisters placed first in the 1997 Ellis Duo Piano Competition sponsored by the National Federation of Music Clubs. In addition to the first prize, the Long Duo also won the Lucile Ward for the Best Performance of American Music Award. Since then, the Long Duo has performed throughout the United States and in Asia. Their performances were broadcasted on National Public Radio, WRR in Dallas among others. In a "rave" review from The Washington Post, the Long sisters were praised for "putting new life into duo piano recital . . . with barnstorming technique. . . ."
Together, with their extensive repertoire and command of the keyboard, the Long Duo has been praised for being able to "switch styles with ease, playing and musical grace and sensitivity."
Described by the critics as a "phenomenal pianist" and a "musical star," Polish born artist Adam Wodnicki has received wide acclaim for his dramatic interpretations, poetic sensitivity and brilliant technique. His programming centers around the great Romantics and encompasses the entire spectrum of 20th century music. Adam Wodnicki can be heard on Muza, Folkways, Centaur, Wergo, Altarus and Klavier labels. Most recent releases of cello and piano sonatas by Dzubay, Muczynski and Shostakovich with cellist Carter Enyeart (Centaur) and a solo disk with piano works by Ignacy Jan Paderewski (Altarus) received rave notices as "one of the year's best contemporary chamber music albums" (Chicago Tribune) and "a recording by a master pianist" (Journal of the American Liszt Society).
Wodnicki's performances and studio recordings have been broadcast by radio stations in Cracow, Tokyo, Helsinki, Chicago and Dallas, among others; he has also made numerous recordings for Polish National TV and in 1999, recorded a piano concerto by Kazimierz Serocki with the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra. Adam Wodnicki has concertized throughout North America, Europe and the Far East. He has appeared in such musical centers as Cracow, Warsaw, Helsinki, Chicago, Los Angeles, Boston, New York, Tokyo, Singapore, Taipei and Prague. Recent appearances include performances at the Arundel Festival, England; Tokyo, Japan; Paderewski Festival in Warsaw, Poland; and with the Cracow Philharmonic; recitals throughout the Czech Republic as well as in China, at the Shenyang International Music Festival. Since 1991 he has returned yearly to his native Poland for highly successful tours; his appearance at the Paderewski Festival in Cracow was described by the press as a "pianistic sensation" (Czas Krakowski). Since the 1997-98 concert season, Adam Wodnicki has been on the touring roster of the Texas Commission on the Arts.
Wodnicki's performance career has been paralleled by his deep commitment to teaching. As a professor of piano at the College of Music since 1980, he attracts outstanding students from across America and abroad. He is in demand for master classes and frequently participates in performance workshops for students and teachers. Three-time prizewinner of the annual Chopin Society National Polish Pianists, Wodnicki studied with Jan Hoffman, Guido Agosti and Gyorgy Sebok. Before joining the University of North Texas faculty, the pianist taught at the Music Academy in Cracow, Poland, and at the University of Texas at Austin. He is a pianist-consultant for the Musica Iagellonica edition of The Complete Works by Paderewski. Mr. Wodnicki is a Steinway Artist.
Application
Age: Age preference is between 15- 22 years old.
Recording: An audio tape or CD of 10 to 20 minutes containing one 20th century piece and another selection from Baroque, Classical or Romantic style.
Written Application:
1. A brief biography should be submitted (in English or in Chinese) including date of birth, education, major teachers, awards and honors.
2. Contact information including e-mail, fax and /or phone number.
Tuition:
Participant: $200
Auditor: $100
(Food and lodging is included.)
Payable by check or money order due upon receipt of notification of acceptance.
Deadline: The application materials should be postmarked by May 20, 2003.
Notification: Students will be notified on or before May 27, 2003 of Acceptance
Mail to:
Dr. James Wintle
Director, Steger Institute
Department of Music
Southeastern Oklahoma State University
Durant, OK 74701
Tel: (580) 745-2196; Fax: (580) 745-7475
Email: jwintle@se.edu
For assistance in Chinese:
Dr. Christina Ay-Chen Long
Artist-in-Residence
Department of Music
Southeastern Oklahoma State University
Durant, OK 74701
Tel. & Fax: (972) 335-2766
Email: HC2L@aol.com