A work by pioneering, 19th-century American composer Louis Moreau Gottschalk, \u201cGrande Tarantelle\u201d for Piano and Orchestra, Op. 67, will be the featured piece at the concert of the East Stroudsburg University\/Community Orchestra on Wednesday, April 23.<\/p>\n
Curtain time for the performance is 7:30 p.m. at the Cecilia S. Cohen Recital Hall of the university\u2019s Fine and Performing Arts Center, Normal and Marguerite streets.\u00a0The concert, sponsored by the Department of Music, is open to the public at no cost.<\/p>\n
Gottschalk, a New Orleans native and European trained piano prodigy, was the best-known pianist in both North and South America during the 1860s. His compositions, which often drew on the music traditions of Louisiana, created a sensation in Europe and were highly popular during his lifetime.<\/p>\n
This year marks the 150th anniversary of the premiere of the \u201cGrande Tarantelle,\u201d which was composed between 1858 and 1864. The work premiered at the Academy of Music in Philadelphia.<\/p>\n
Ruth Kochera, staff accompanist for the music department, is the piano soloist for the performance. Betsy Buzzelli-Clarke, Ed.D., associate professor and chair of music, is director of the orchestra.<\/p>\n