Contact: Maridith Geuder
STARKVILLE, Miss.--A Nov. 8 faculty recital at Mississippi State will feature the world premiere of music written by Czech and American composers.
Part of the university's Lyceum Faculty Chamber Series, the 7:30 p.m. musical event in Lee Hall auditorium will feature flutist Lana Johns and pianist Jackie Edwards-Henry, with assistance from percussionist Robert Damm.
Tickets are $5; students are admitted free with MSU identification cards.
Premiere compositions include "Fantasia for Solo Flute," a 2005 piece by Jindra Necasova Nardelli of the Czech Republic. An award-winning piano and composition graduate of the Conservatory of Music in Prague, she completed doctoral studies at the Academy of the Performing Arts in the nation's capital.
Her works have been featured in three compact disc recordings: "Debut Fuse" (1991), "Tolerance" (1997) and "Commanding Statements" (2007).
"The Delta Suite" also will receive its public debut. Composed by Louisiana native Robert Tucker Robison, it features rhythms and unique sounds of the South--from ragtime to bayou two-step to blues.
Robison, who currently operates a commercial recording and music business in Baton Rouge, received bachelor's and master's degrees from Louisiana State University and a doctorate in composition and theory from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Other recital listings include "Fantaisie for Flute and Piano" by Georges Hue; "Sonata for Flute and Piano" by Erwin Schulhoff; and "Canzone for Flute and Piano" by Samuel Barber.
Edwards-Henry and Johns hold the rank of professor, while Damm is an associate professor. All are colleagues in the music department, sponsor of the event.
Edwards-Henry received a doctorate from the University of Oklahoma and bachelor's and master's degrees from William Jewel College and the University of Illinois, respectively. She has pursued additional studies in France as a Rotary Scholar.
Johns holds degrees from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and Florida State University. She has made appearances in South America, Canada, Europe, and throughout the United States, including the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., and New York's Carnegie Hall.
Damm, a specialist in music education and percussion, has conducted research in the music and dance of Ghana and Cuba. He holds degrees from Quincy University and the universities of Illinois and North Texas.
For more about the recital, visit http://music.msstate.edu/events/ or telephone the music department at 662-325-3070.
For more information about Mississippi State University, see http://www.msstate.edu/.