Stratford Concert Pianist in Dutton on pre-European Tour

Stratford Concert Pianist in Dutton on pre-European Tour
Sunday May 16th

One thing leads to another. And you never know where a decision will take you. Sandra Mogensen’s life over the past few years is a perfect example of how one decision and a small dose of curiosity can lead to a whole new life. Part of that new life will bring her to Knox-St, Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Dutton on Sunday afternoon, May 16, for a solo piano recital in advance of her summer European concert tour. It is a concert that area piano teachers and their students and music lovers, in general, will not want to miss.

Just days after making the difficult decision to quit her job as Director of Music at St. James Anglican Church in Stratford to pursue a solo concert career, Mogensen was invited to perform in Europe this summer at the historic home of Danish composer, Edvard Grieg. The highlight of this summer’s concert tour will be playing in the beautiful Trosdsalen concert hall at Troldhaugen in Bergen, Norway. She will bring her European concert program to Dutton on May 16.

The journey to her European concert dates in 2010 began during the 150th anniversary celebrations of Mozart’s birth in 2006. Looking ahead, she noticed 2007 was the 100th anniversary of the death of Norwegian composer, Edvard Grieg. This discovery came at a time when she was contemplating doing a solo recording. She released her first solo CD in 2007, creatively titled “Sandra Mogensen: Piano Music of Edvard Grieg,” which was very well received and roundly praised.

A year ago, she received an invitation to present a lecture and recital at the Grieg Festival conference in Winter Park, Florida. This led her to record a second CD, released in 2009, which features some of Grieg’s most famous pieces from the “Peer Gynt Suite” along with other, lesser known works.

As she became reconnected with Grieg, she discovered that Maurice Ravel, most famous for the orchestral piece “Bolero”, was heavily influenced by Grieg’s music. She has created a unique and unorthodox blend of the two in “Ravel Meets Grieg.” She particularly likes the way Grieg creates different tonal colours through his piano writing. "That really appeals to me. And it also seems to appeal to a wide audience, perhaps of regular music lovers but also to people who may not normally listen to classical music," she says.

The concert is being sponsored by Sharon Little, an area music educator and director of the Treble Makers Women’s Choir, the West Elgin Community Band and the Joyful Noise Youth Band, and supported fully by Knox-St. Andrew’s Church. “The church is a beautiful building, with wonderful acoustics and a very musical community,” says Little. “It’s the perfect place for chamber music concerts and solo concerts such as this and it gives us all an opportunity to hear great live music without having to drive into the city or beyond to access it.” Little hopes there will be enough interest in the community to start a chamber music series.

In the meantime, this is a perfect opportunity for local piano teachers, students and other music lovers to hear Mogensen play. Piano teachers who bring students and a family member with them will get a discounted rate.

Tickets are $20 for adults and $10 for students in advance and $25 and $12 at the door. Tickets are available by calling Little at 785-0797. The concert begins at 2:00 pm, Sunday, May 16. Piano teachers should call Little for more information on how to get the discounted rate and how they can receive a free CD.

Mogensen will also be the special guest of the Treble Makers Women’s Choir spring concert, “Mom’s the Word,” on Saturday evening, May 15 at 7:30 pm, also at Knox-St. Andrew’s. Tickets for Sunday’s concert will also be available at the Treble Makers Concert.