Barton College/Wilson Symphony To Feature Acclaimed Pianist Mac McClure on April 28

WILSON, N.C. — The Barton College/Wilson Symphony Orchestra will present their Spring Concert on Sunday, April 28, at 3 p.m. in the Lauren Kennedy and Alan Campbell Theatre on the Barton campus. The symphony welcomes back to the Barton stage internationally acclaimed concert pianist Mac McClure, who returns to his hometown to perform Beethoven’s heroic Piano Concerto No. 3.

Under the direction of Barton’s Mark N. Peterson, the orchestra will also present Bizet’s “Carmen Suite No. 1,” two works by Cuban composer Ernesto Lecuona, Adalusia (also known as the hit tune “The Breeze and I”), and the very popular “Malgueña.” “It’s so wonderful to have Mac back and performing with us again,” said Peterson. “He is doing great things in the international concert music scene, and Wilson should be very proud of him and his accomplishments.”

Admission for the spring orchestra performance will be $10 at the door or by season ticket. All students within the community will be admitted free of charge as well as faculty, staff and students of Barton College. For additional information, please contact Laura Ashley Lamm at 252-399-6334 or email: lalamm@barton.edu.

About the featured pianist — 

McClure, a Wilson native, completed his Bachelor of Arts degree in Romance Languages at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill in 1984. He began to study piano in 1982 under Consuelo Colomer and continued with Michael Zenge and Phyllis Rappeport. In 1986, he moved to Barcelona, Spain, to study with Carlota Garriga at the prestigious Marshall Academy, founded in 1901 by Enrique Granados. He worked closely with the late Alicia de Larrocha on Spanish and standard repertory and, since 1998, he has worked closely with Dalton Baldwin studying French art song.

McClure’s repertoire extends from Bach to Lutoslawski, Messeain, and Rzewski. In addition to the Spanish and traditional repertories, he is an acclaimed champion of 20th century music. He has given world premieres of works by Montsalvatge, Mompou, Morera, Arauco, Bertran, Borras, Cervello, and Garriga. His repertoire for piano and orchestra includes works by De Aguila, Bolcom, Barber, Bartok, Ravel, Daughtery, Falla, Garriga, Montsalvatge, and Surinach. He is frequently invited to play with major American and European orchestras.

He is the director of the National Conservatory of Colombia, which is part of the National University of Colombia. Along with co-editor Frances Barulich, McClure has published an urtext edition of the complete songs of Albeniz and a volume of arias from the stage works of Albeniz, all published by Editorial Boileau. He also is the executive president of SIL (Spanish Independent Labels) Company that is dedicated to the exportation and promotion of Spanish recording labels.

Currently residing in Barcelona, Spain, McClure frequently performs in Spain and throughout Europe. He debuted in the International Festival in Perelada in an avant-garde production of Rossini’s Barber of Seville under the direction of Carlos Santos, and he has been invited to perform in the festivals in Camprodon, Torella de Montgri, Girona, Pals, Alicante, Granada, and Düsseldorf. McClure travels to the United States two or three times a year to offer master-classes and concerts at universities (University of Michigan at Ann Arbor and Kalamazoo, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, East Carolina University, Queens University of Charlotte, University of Arizona, among others) and conservatories (Julliard School of Music).

Outstanding among McClure’s many recordings for Columna Musica are the complete vocal works of Albéniz, and a collection of J.S. Bach pieces transcribed for piano by Ferruccio Busoni, Camille Saint-Saëns, and Franz Liszt. His world premier recording of the E. Granados Quintet Op. 49, released in 2002, received high praise in “Gramophone” and “International Record Review.”

Following the concert, the audience is cordially invited to meet the musicians at a reception, hosted by ARAMARK Higher Education, in the Bridgestone Americas Atrium of the Lauren Kennedy and Alan Campbell Theatre.

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