Johanna Ballou

Saturday January 17th, 2015 Concert 7:30PM	560 Music Center 560 Trinity Ave, 63130 (map)
Co-sponsored by the Department of Music at Washington University
Johanna Ballou — piano Stella Markou — soprano
Johanna Ballou is a young American pianist who has been enthralling American and European audiences with her magnetic stage presence and dynamic interpretations.She completed her studies at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in the UK and has studied with Daniel Martyn Lewis, Rolf Hind, Seth Carlin, William Phemister, Vera Parkin, and members of Grammy Award-winning ensemble Eighth Blackbird. After her acclaimed Welsh premier of Gyorgy Ligeti’s Piano Concerto, she toured alongside members of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and London Sinfonietta for the contemporary chamber opera company Music Theatre Wales. She has collaborated with Diversions, the National Dance Company of Wales, and worked in music for Welsh independent film, television, theater, and art installation projects. Since returning to the states in 2009, she has continued her performance career in both solo and collaborative piano. She works closely with composers in the performance of new music, and performs educational programs for children throughout Missouri and Illinois. Ballou’s January concert will include selections that employ a variety of modern classical approaches. The program will include Diclavis Enorma by David M. Gordon for keyboards and electronics Takeover by Tristan Evans for piano and electronics Two-Handed Storytelling by Christopher Stark for piano and electronics Five Eliot Landscapes I. New Hampshire III. Usk by Thomas Adès, words by T.S. Eliot for piano and voice Terma by Craig Walsh for soprano and electronics Les Mountons de Panurge by Frederic Rzewski for audience participation/workshop ensemble PLUS! Special Audience Participation Project: Johanna Ballou will lead a special performance of Frederic Rzewski’s Les Moutons de Panurge (1969). The audience may join this piece in two ways: 1) All audience members are encouraged to bring ANY small instrument to the performance. No rehearsal necessary. Some small percussion instruments will be available on a first come, first served basis. 2) You may also play along with the main melody of the composition, in which case there will be one required rehearsal on Saturday, January 17th, from 12pm-2pm at the Tavern of Fine Arts (313 Belt Ave.). The rehearsal will be led by Tracy Andreotti (musician, composer, and NMC board member). The score may be obtained from imslp.org for free. Anyone involved in the melody portion of the composition will receive a free admission to the evening concert at the 560 Music Center. For further information about this participation please contact our Program Coordinator at nmc.jeremy@gmail.com.