Pianist John Mortensen to perform March 19

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In the second of three concerts in the annual Sunday series, the Champaign County Arts Council will present pianist John Mortensen at the Arts Council gallery, 119 Miami St., Urbana, on Sunday, March 19, at 4 p.m.

Tickets are available at the Arts Council and online at www.champaigncountyartscouncil.org.

Mortensen is a pianist, improviser, educator and author. His concerts often begin with masterpieces of the classical repertoire before venturing into improvisation or his original compositions. He is noted for his ability to improvise complete Baroque suites, in any key, on themes selected by the audience. He appears frequently as concert artist and masterclass teacher at colleges and universities nationwide.

He is committed to educating young musicians for the 21st century and places special emphasis on developing courses that bring improvisation back to the standard college music curriculum.

Mortensen studied with Lynne Bartholomew at the University of Michigan and Anne Koscielny and Raymond Hanson at the University of Maryland, receiving his doctorate in piano performance from the latter. He holds National Certification in Piano through the Music Teacher’s National Association and is endorsed as an Ohio Artist on Tour through the Ohio Arts Council. The Fulbright Specialist program of the U.S. Department of State sponsors him to perform and teach at universities internationally.

A Steinway Artist, he now serves as professor of piano at Cedarville University. In 2016 he was named Faculty Scholar of the Year, that institution’s highest award.

The 2016-2017 concert series is sponsored by the Bohl Family-in memory of Betsy Bohl, Sally Johnson and Charles and Joan Stadler. The series will finish with a concert by the Wittenberg Woodwind Quintet on Sunday, April 23.

This program is also made possible by the Ohio Arts Council, which helps fund this program with state tax dollars to encourage economic growth, educational excellence, and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans.

For more information, call the Arts Council office at 937-653-7557.

The Champaign County Arts Council will host pianist John Mortensen for a March 19 performance.
https://www.urbanacitizen.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/36/2017/03/web1_mortensen-steinway-bw.jpegThe Champaign County Arts Council will host pianist John Mortensen for a March 19 performance. Submitted photo

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Submitted by the Champaign County Arts Council.

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