By John F. Kaiser III | Navarro County Gazette
For one night only artist Laura Briseno will paint live on stage while pianists Dr. Amanda Hughes and Egle Uljas will perform a selection of piano pieces. The inspiration for this performance of art and music was that all of the pieces being played are by musicians who were also artists. Performance at an Exhibition is free to attend, begins at 6:00pm, and will be held at the Cook Center on the Navarro College Campus located at 3100 W Collin St, Corsicana, TX.
The music selections for the evening are:
Andante und Allegro Assai Vivace, Op. 92 – Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847)
Pictures at an Exhibition – Modest Mussorgsky (1839-1881)
- Promenade – The Gnome
- Promenade – Il Vecchio Castello (The Old Castle)
- Promenade – Tuileries (Children’s Quarrel after Games)
- Bydlo (Cattle)
- Promenade – Ballet of Unhatched Chicks
- “Samuel” Goldenberg and “Schmuyle”
- Promenade – Limoges. The Market (The Great News)
- Catacombs (Roman Tomb)
- The Hut on Hen’s Legs (Baba Yaga)
- The Great Gate of Kiev
Rhapsody in Blue – George Gershwin (1898-1937) Arr. By Brent Edstrom
There will be an intermission before Rhapsody in Blue.
The paintings being done will be created live while being inspired by the music as it is performed.
About the Performers
Artist: Laura Briseno
Award winning, creative, and multifaceted in her fields of talent, Laura Briseno is on a lifelong journey to expand her knowledge of, curiosities, and expressions in art. As an art professor and department chair for Navarro College, Briseno expounds her passion for art unto her students and actively seeks avenues to showcase their hard work.
Briseno has a strong textile background in Design for Theater and Fashion. A multi recipient winner of the Alamo Theater Arts Council Globe Award for
Costume Design in Theater in San Antonio, Texas.
Over the years she has traveled and worked for companies such as Cirque Du Soleil and Franco Dragone through creation/production in Wardrobe/Craft, and is a proud member of I.A.S.T.E. Local 768 of Los Angeles, California, with productions ranging from Wicked to Cats.
Pianist: Amanda Hughes
A native of Florida, Amanda Hughes has distinguished herself in the world of music as a pianist, organist, composer, and pedagogue. As a pianist, she has given several solo and chamber recitals across the USA and Europe. She gave her first full solo recital at the age of eight, and made her orchestral debut at age 16 as a winner of the Ars Flores Young Artist Concerto Competition, performing Mendelssohn’s Piano Concerto in G Minor, Op. 25.
In 2006, she was a prize winner in the Madelyn Saverick Piano Competition and was chosen as the alternate winner in the senior state division of the Music Teacher’s National Associate (MTNA) Competition. She was also chosen to represent the US as the International Music Laureate. In May of 2013, she premiered the music of the Russian composer, pianist, and former professor, Vladimir Drozdoff, at the St. Petersburg Conservatory and presented original research on the composer. In addition to having an active performance life, Amanda has composed over eighty works, including both solo and chamber music. In 1999, she was chosen as a top five winner of the New England Conservatory Composition Competition. She has been featured in five full length articles and has also made numerous appearances on public radio.
Pianist: Egle Uljas
Egle Uljas was born in Tallinn, Estonia. She entered Tallinn Music School when she was four years old. She studied piano under the guidance of Reet Ruubel and later with Alexandra Juozepenaite-Eesmaa at the Estonian Music Academy. She received several top three places at the Estonian Young Pianist’s and Concerto Competitions throughout her studies. She was selected to play Ravel Piano Concerto with TMKK orchestra at the graduation ceremony in Estonian Concert Hall and later at Suure-Jaani Music Festival. As a senior at High-School, she qualified to the Athens Olympic Games and ran Estonian Record in the 400m-s with the time of 51.91 sec. and qualified to the semifinals. In 2004, she was named the Best Female Track and Field Athlete of the Year.
Shortly after entering Estonian Music Academy, she was recruited (as an athlete) to the United States to represent University of Nebraska-Lincoln. There, she was a winner of the Concerto Competition and was selected to play at the Liszt Society Festival. For the Huskers, she ran school records in 600m-s and 800m-s and represented the team at the Big 12 and NCAA Championships.
Uljas has given concerts in Tallinn, Yekaterinburg, Riga, Vilnius, Helsinki, Prague, Houston, New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and more.
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