On Saturday, March 1, the UTC Music Department will present a faculty recital featuring Gordon James on horn and Dr. Sin-Hsing Tsai on piano. The program will include duets for horn and piano by Beethoven, Hindemith, Bozza, and Basler as well as transcriptions for horn and piano of the Rachmaninoff “Vocalise” and the Glìere “Valse Triste.” The concert will be held in the Roland Hayes Concert Hall of the UTC Fine Arts Center at 8:00 pm. The general public is invited and admission is free.
The two highlights of the recital are the Beethoven “Sonata for Horn and Piano” and the Hindemith “Sonata for Alto Horn and Piano.” Asked why these two particular works were chosen, James responded that he and Tsai wished to “stretch themselves as performers.”
The composer himself sanctioned the performance of the Hindemith Sonata on an Alto Saxophone as well as a traditional Althorn and a more modern “French” Horn. Hindemith composed a poem entitled “the Posthorn” to be read by the pianist and horn player before the last movement of the sonata. All the works on the program provide an opportunity for the two performers, working in concert, to demonstrate both their virtuosic and expressive techniques.
Gordon James is most familiar to Chattanooga audiences as the principal Horn of the Chattanooga Symphony. He is an adjunct faculty member at Covenant College, Lee University, and Southern Adventist University as well as UTC. Many children will associate James with performances of the CSO Wind Quintet through the Symphony’s educational outreach performances in the local schools. James has taught Horn and performed for 25 years and has appeared with several symphonies besides the Chattanooga Symphony including the Alabama, Huntsville, Ft. Worth, Dallas and Baltimore Symphonies. He holds degrees from Peabody University and the University of North Texas.
Sin-Hsing Tsai is a UC Foundation Assistant Professor of Music at UTC. Her career took off at the age of eight when she was admitted to the prestigious government program for musically talented children in her native city Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Raised and trained in Argentina, German and the US, she has won numerous awards. Her performing experience extends beyond the concert hall to broadcasts in Buenos Aires and Chattanooga and source music for film and theater productions in Los Angeles. She has enjoyed global success as a soloist, chamber musician and teacher.
For further information, please contact the Music Department office 423-425-4601.
