Piano Trio Performance, Faculty Recital Launch WT School of Music’s Concert Season

Copy by Chip Chandler, 806-651-2124, cchandler@wtamu.edu

CANYON, Texas — An internationally regarded cellist will join two West Texas A&M University musicians for a special concert Aug. 27.

Dr. Christoph Wagner, assistant professor of cello and head of strings at the University of New Mexico, will join WT’s Dr. Choong-ha Nam, professor of piano, and Dr. Rossitza Goza, Harrington lecturer in violin, for a piano trio concert.

The concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 27 in Mary Moody Northen Recital Hall on WT’s Canyon campus.

Nam and Goza are faculty members in WT’s School of Music in the Sybil B. Harrington College of Fine Arts and Humanities.

In addition to the piano trio concert, School of Music faculty members also will offer a free recital at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 26, also in Northen Recital Hall.

“Piano trio repertoire is some of the richest in chamber music,” Nam said. “What I find that makes piano trios unique from the other types of chamber ensembles is that the format allows for all three instruments to be soloistic and prominent almost all the time. The best and most successful works in this genre allow the different timbres of the piano and strings to work to heighten the beauty of the other instruments and create a sonic blend that is incredibly rich and colorful.”

The concert will feature Franz Schubert’s Piano Trio No. 1 and Dmitri Shostakovich’s Piano Trio No. 2.

“I find Schubert’s music to be some of the most rewarding to both prepare and present. I suppose that may be subjective, but Rossitza and many other musicians feel the same way,” Nam said. “His music is the most simple and unpretentious, and yet, even with his simple ideas, he is able to create some of the most emotionally penetrating music there is.”

The performance of the Shostakovich trio marks the 50th anniversary of the composer’s death.

“This piece shows not only the composer’s incredible craft, but also the emotional turmoil that he and other artists of his era had to undergo,” Nam said.

A roundtable discussion of Shostakovich’s life and work will be held at noon Aug. 27 in the Hazel Kelley Wilson Grand Lobby in the Sybil B. Harrington Fine Arts Complex. Leading the discussion will be Dr. Amy Von Lintel, professor of art history; Dr. Nicole Kraus, assistant professor of sociology; Dr. Elizabeth Morrow Clark, professor of history; and Dr. Bonnie Roos, professor of English.

The WT Fall Faculty Showcase will feature an array of School of Music faculty members offering a varied program of classical masterpieces, contemporary compositions and original works.

“This showcase gives our students, especially those who are new to WT, an invaluable chance to hear their own teachers perform,” said Dr. B.J. Brooks, director of the School of Music. “Excellence in performance is one of the School of Music’s core values, and nothing inspires students more than seeing their mentors model that standard on stage.”

Admission to both concerts is free. Call 806-651-2840 or visit wtamu.edu/music.

Fostering an appreciation of the arts is a key component of the University’s long-range plan, WT 125: From the Panhandle to the World.

That plan is fueled by the historic One West comprehensive fundraising campaign, which reached its initial $125 million goal 18 months after publicly launching in September 2021. The campaign’s new goal is to reach $175 million by 2025; currently, it has raised more than $165 million.

Photo: Drs. Rossitza Goza, from left, Choong-ha Nam and Christoph Wagner will perform as a piano trio in an Aug. 27 concert at West Texas A&M University.

About West Texas A&M University

WT, a Regional Research University, is redefining excellence in Canyon, Texas, on a 342-acre residential campus, as well as the Harrington Academic Hall WTAMU Amarillo Center in downtown Amarillo. Established in 1910, the University has been part of The Texas A&M University System since 1990. WT, a Hispanic Serving Institution since 2016, boasts an enrollment of more than 9,000 and offers 66 undergraduate degree programs, including eight associate degrees; and 44 graduate degrees, including an integrated bachelor’s and master’s degree, a specialist degree and two doctoral degrees. The University is also home to the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum, the largest history museum in the state and the home of one of the Southwest’s finest art collections. The Buffaloes are a member of the NCAA Division II Lone Star Conference and offers 16 men’s and women’s athletics programs.

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