The Lycoming College Music Department will present a piano recital by Amanda Gunderson, D.M.A., assistant professor of music, Friday, March 21, at 7:30 p.m. in Clarke Chapel. The concert is free and open to the public.
Gunderson will perform works by French composer Claude Debussy (1862-1918). Richard Lakey, adjunct instructor of music, will join her at the piano for the beloved Petite Suite (1889) and guest violinist Carol Carlson, from Madison, Wis., will accompany Gunderson for Sonata for Violin and Piano (1917), the composer’s last complete composition.
Debussy’s works were an important part of the development of music in the 20th century. He is, for better or worse, associated with impressionism, a movement that, much like its counterpart in the visual arts, focused on suggestion and atmosphere more than traditional forms and harmonies. Some of his major compositions include “Clair de lune” (“Moonlight”), “Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune” (“Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun”) and La Mer (“The Sea”).
Gunderson has appeared as a soloist throughout the United States, including in New York’s Weill Recital Hall. As a prize-winning collaborative pianist, she maintains an active life as a chamber musician. In 2010, she and violinist Carol Carlson founded Duo Mendota and embarked on a tour across the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic. She earned a doctorate in piano performance and pedagogy from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, a master’s in piano performance and pedagogy and a master’s in music theory from Penn State University.
Carlson has performed solo recitals and chamber music across the United States and in Europe. She performs with the Pecatonica String Quartet, the Dubuque Symphony Orchestra and as a member of Duo Mendota. She is pursuing her doctorate in violin performance at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she previously earned a master’s degree.
Lycoming College is a four-year, residential liberal arts and sciences school dedicated to the undergraduate education of 1,400 students. Its rigorous academic program, vibrant residential community and supportive faculty foster successful student outcomes. Lycoming offers 36 academic majors and is recognized as a Tier 1 institution by U.S. News & World Report. Founded in 1812 and located near the banks of the Susquehanna River in Williamsport, Pa., Lycoming is one of the 50 oldest colleges in the nation. For more information, visit www.lycoming.edu.