Augustana University is excited to announce that the School of Music (SoM) will once again be hosting its annual J. Earl Lee Piano Festival on Sunday, Feb. 20, at Hamre Recital Hall in the Fryxell Humanities Center. The celebration of the piano presents unique opportunities for learning, listening and participation to music teachers and piano students.
The Spring 2022 J. Earl Piano Festival will begin with auditions, followed by a Masterclass with Augustana’s Assistant Professor of Piano Dr. Shu Li and an opportunity to “Discover Yamaha” or experience Yamaha pianos and their possibilities. A concert featuring the Schumann Piano Quintet with the Dakota String Quartet/South Dakota Symphony Orchestra (SDSO) will take place in the afternoon. To conclude the day, the SoM and SDSO will make a special announcement regarding the J. Earl Lee Piano Festival in Fall 2022.
“We’re so excited to not just see the return of the J. Earl Lee Piano Festival, but to see it reimagined in a way that capitalizes on our artistic partnership with the South Dakota Symphony," said Augustana Dean of the School of Music Dr. Peter Folliard.
For more than a decade, Augustana has hosted a biennial piano festival held in honor of Dr. J. Earl Lee and his wife, Dr. Clara Lee ‘39, professors emeriti of music and speech. The festival has been funded by the generous and longstanding estate gifts of Karl O. Lee and his mother, Augustana 1908 alumna Agnes Lee.
The full schedule of the Spring 2022 J. Earl Lee Piano Festival is as follows:
9 a.m. — Scheduled Auditions
10 a.m. — Masterclass with Augustana Assistant Professor of Piano Dr. Shu Li
11 a.m. — Discover Yamaha
12:30 p.m. — Lunch
1:30 p.m. — Concert: Schumann Piano Quintet with the Dakota String Quartet
All of the events are free and open to all teachers, students and the general public.