Faculty Recital Press Release April 5

Dr. Tham shines during faculty recital
http://www.cowley.edu/news/releases/2009_10/04052010.html

Cowley College Humanities instructor, Dr. Gloria Tham, presented her first faculty recital Thursday in the Robert Brown Theatre on the Arkansas City campus. The piano recital featured solo pieces by Handel, Brahms and Chopin. In addition, Dr. Tham performed two Chinese-inspired pieces by Tcherepnin and Stephen Hough.

Those in attendance were moved by the music on display.

“The evening was absolutely beautiful,” said Slade Griffiths, Cowley College vice president of academic affairs. “I am proud and honored to have Dr. Tham on the faculty here at the college. She is passionate about her music and about student learning – a true professional.”

Dr. Tham was joined by Connie Donatelli, director of vocal music, during a duet sonata by Mozart.
“It was a great experience to work with my colleague, Connie Donatelli,” Dr. Tham said. “We had to make adjustments to our individual playing styles to create this ensemble experience.”

This was the first recital that Dr. Tham has played that was not required of her. That freedom allowed her to experiment with different interpretations, sound colors and technical approaches to the recital.

“I remember that it was in the second half of the recital that it really dawned on me that this recital I'm playing solely because I love performing and I chose to bask in the spotlight at that moment,” Dr. Tham said. “I really wanted to communicate to the audience that classical piano is an art form, a demanding one.”

Dr. Tham said the concert would not have been such a success without the nine-foot Steinway concert grand piano, the wonderful acoustics in the Robert Brown Theatre, and the technical equipment that were necessary for the performance.

“Even the simple items like flowers on stage, make a huge difference in setting the mood for the recital,” Dr. Tham said.

Having graduated from Southwestern College in Winfield summa cum laude in 2002, with a degree in piano performance, Dr. Tham went on to Wichita State University where she finished her masters of music degree in piano performance.

In August 2009, Dr. Tham graduated with a doctorate in piano performance from the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. She also studied abroad as a Chinese language student at the Central University of Nationalities, in Beijing, China in the fall of 2008.

Dr. Tham was thankful to have the opportunity to perform her first recital in Cowley County.

“I am overjoyed to play my first recital after my doctorate as a piano faculty person back here in Kansas,” Dr. Tham said. “A different place would not have been as sweet to mark an important milestone in my musical journey.”

Guests at the recital also had an opportunity to view the Sophomore Art Show in the Earle N. Wright Community Room before and after the performance. A reception was held following the recital in celebration of both events.

Faculty Recital Press Release March 24

Dr. Tham to perform faculty recital on April 1
http://www.cowley.edu/news/releases/2009_10/03242010_2.html

Cowley College Humanities instructor, Dr. Gloria Tham, will be presenting her first faculty recital at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 1 at the Robert Brown Theatre on the Arkansas City campus. The piano recital is open to the public and is free of charge.

Selections for the recital include solo pieces by Handel, Brahms and Chopin. In addition, two Chinese-inspired pieces by Tcherepnin and Stephen Hough will be performed. Dr. Tham will be joined by Connie Donatelli, director of vocal music, to perform a duet sonata by Mozart.

“I am very excited to feature Cowley’s Steinway concert grand in a solo piano recital setting,” Dr. Tham said.

Guests are also invited to view the Sophomore Art Show in the Earle N. Wright Community Room before and after the recital. A reception will be held following the recital in celebration of both events.

Cowley Press Releases

http://www.cowley.edu/news/releases/2009_10/04052010.html

First Faculty Recital Thoughts & Reflections

My first faculty recital came and went on April 1. I realized that my scheduling clashed with Maundy Thursday after the calendar was already set. Next year, I will be very sure to check the Easter calendar before deciding. Although some of my friends couldn't make it, there were many students, faculty and staff who came out to support my recital. I noticed that the audience was super polite (especially the second half) and the hall was totally silent. I could not ask for a better audience.

This was the first recital that I played that was not required of me. I was not playing for a grade, a committee or as part of my job contract. The freedom of not playing to please someone else made a big difference in this recital. I felt very free to experiment with different interpretations, sound colors and technical approach to the recital. I remember that it was in the second half of the recital that it really dawned on me that this recital I'm playing solely because I love performing and I chose to bask in the spotlight at that moment. The spotlight would fade in half an hour :). I really wanted to communicate to the audience that classical piano is an art form, a demanding one. The eleven years of tertiary education to be able to enjoy this moment was all worth it.

This was also the first time that I performed an entire duet sonata in public. It was a great experience to work with my colleague, Connie Donatelli. We had to make adjustments to our individual playing styles to create this ensemble experience. We laughed a lot and an audience member remarked that she was glad that we laughed on stage prior to starting our piece.

I am blessed to have the equipment and the facility to let my imagination be reality. The 9-foot Steinway concert grand which my college owns has barely been broken in and is a beautiful instrument. I call it the luxury race car model of the piano world. It is a piano that most pianists cannot afford and I approach that piano in awe. (If I sell everything I own, including my rental house (which I don't own obviously) I would still not be able to buy this piano.) The Brown Center has wonderful acoustics, a working theater and also the projector equipment. I would not have been able to pull off a video presentation and slide show without the technical equipment in place. Even the simple items like flowers on stage, make a huge difference in setting the mood for the recital.

As for the selections of that evening, John Cage 4'33" was quite a joke to pull off and it was very hard not to laugh for 2 minutes. The final two pieces of the recital were the hardest pieces that I have ever performed. They are not only technically very difficult for a small-handed pianist but demand a maturity for the interpretation, musicality and expression.

Final thoughts: I began my piano performance journey here in the Cowley County area in Kansas as a student at Southwestern College. My freshman year, I dropped my music major because I thought I could not memorize music, had bad stage fright and can't perform. I have to take back every statement I made. I am overjoyed to play my first recital after my doctorate as a piano faculty person back here in Kansas. A different place would not have been as sweet to mark an important milestone in my musical journey. May there be many more performances to come.