Bonnie Anderson, Adjunct Piano Instructor, performed a piano recital in the Timken Room in Graves Hall this past Sunday. Divided into three sections — Invitation, Flight, and Resolution — the program consisted of pieces that Anderson aptly called “short gems,” all of which were composed by female or living composers. Anderson carefully curated her pieces to create a storyline that reflected the emotions of the music.
“The first section is ‘Invitation,’ and I had three female composers: Clara Schumann, Cécile Chaminade, and Betty Jackson King. And they’re all inviting pieces, mellow, warm, intimate pieces. And then I thought that it would be nice to get some more momentum going. So I named the second section of the concert ‘Flight’… the second piece in the ‘Flight’ section is ‘Troubled Water’ based on the spiritual, ‘Wade in the Water.’ It has a lot of jazzy rhythms, a really fun use of the piano, a lot of pedal with low bass notes, and then the upper register and jumping all around. And then to end the program, I have the ‘Resolution’… I really liked this last piece called ‘At Last.’ It has layers of sound and voicing with the bass, the middle, and then a beautiful melody,” said Anderson.
For audience member Emma Greenhut ’27, the Flight section was particularly memorable. She noted the contrast between lighter and heavier pieces, as well as the overall bright and cheerful tone of the music.
“I really liked the second third because I thought it was really interesting. It started with that light butterflying piece. It was very ethereal. It was very pretty to listen to, and then it transitioned to a heavier piece, which gave it some contrast. Then it finished out with that rag-time thing. It was really, really cool,” said Greenhut.
Anderson’s goal for the performance was to create a peaceful and uplifting atmosphere to relax students for midterms, while at the same time wanting to introduce the audience to a wider variety of composers. While organizing the program, she worked to tie together the pieces and composers she had discovered from a variety of places.
“[For] the Clara Schumann [piece], I actually was introduced to at a Masterclass that I was giving… The Cécile Chaminade I found in a pianist magazine that comes out of Europe and Betty Jackson King, that came out of the book that I found because I was asked to perform for a Martin Luther King service… The Elena Kats-Chernin I found because of the Portland Symphony playing her piece called ‘Clocks,’” said Anderson.
Audience members noted the collection of diverse pieces. Carol Thistle, resident of the town of Andover, has been attending concerts from the school for years. She appreciated the range of composers and the variety that it added to the program.
“One of the things that I love is that all of them were by female composers. I was turned on by many new composers I had never heard of… ‘Butterflying’ [which] was so much fun, and I also really liked ‘Troubled Water.” It was amazing. I enjoyed them all… I also like that the pieces were short; they weren’t that long, so it was almost like a big candy box trying all the different flavors,” said Thistle.
Anderson is an accomplished musician, having played piano in professional chamber, orchestral, and solo settings. As a faculty member in Andover’s music department, she looks forward to the opening of Falls Hall, which is currently under construction, and appreciates the school’s investment in music.
“I’m really excited for the new building… It’s going to be a big chapter, a new big chapter for the faculty and students and the community… I think that it’s really great that here at Andover we have these beautiful grand pianos that students get to rehearse and perform on, and then faculty can rehearse and perform on them. And I think that it’s just incredible the level of artistry and beauty that we can all achieve because the level of instrument is so gorgeous,” said Anderson.
