EMU to Host Viola-Piano Duo

The music department will present a guest artist recital by violist Scott Rawls and pianist Phillip Bush 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Mar. 22, in Martin Chapel of the seminary building.

The duo will perform "Three Batatelles for Viola and Piano" by contemporary composer Don Freund, "Sonata for Viola and Piano Op. 147" by Dmitri Shostakovich, "Seven for the Flowers Near the River," composed in 1988 by Stephen Paulus and "Variations on ‘My Favorite Things’" by Mark Kuss.

Violist Scott Rawls Violist Scott Rawls

Dr. Rawls currently serves as associate professor of viola and chair of the instrumental division in the School of Music at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Under the baton of maestro Dmitry Sitkovetsky, he plays principal viola in the Greensboro Symphony Orchestra.

He is active as guest clinician, adjudicator, and master class teacher at universities and festivals in America and Europe. During the summers, Rawls plays principal viola in the festival orchestra at Brevard Music Center where he also coordinates the viola program. He holds a bachelor of music degree from Indiana University and M.M. and D.M.A. degrees from State University of New York at Stony Brook.

pianist Phillip Bush Pianist Phillip Bush

One of the busiest chamber musicians among American pianists, Bush has performed and recorded with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, the Kronos Quartet and the Miami String Quartet. In 2001, he made his concerto debut at Carnegie Hall with the London Sinfonietta. He can be heard frequently on public radio in the U.S., including appearances on "Saint Paul Sunday" and on nationwide live television broadcasts via the Classic Arts Showcase.

From 2002 to 2004, Bush taught piano and chamber music at the University of Michigan. In addition to a full performing schedule, he continues to give masterclasses for young musicians across the country. He is a graduate of the Peabody Conservatory, where he studied with Leon Fleisher.

Admission to the concert is a suggested $5 donation at the door.