PULLMAN — On Sept. 4 oboist and Washington State University faculty member Keri E. McCarthy will join pianist
Jeffrey Savage in concert at 8 p.m. in Bryan Hall Theatre on the WSU campus for the American premiere of four new works by leading Southeast Asian composers.
The recital is the culmination of a summer concert tour through Bangkok, Hanoi, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore. Commissioned composers include Tony Prabowo (Indonesia), Yii Kah Hoe (Malaysia), Nguyen Phuc Linh (Vietnam) and Weerachat Premananda (Thailand).
The series resulted from a unique commission project initiated by McCarthy to generate new pieces showcasing a standard Western ensemble (oboe and piano) with modern Asian compositional styles, reflecting both Western and traditional music influences.
Commissions were completed this spring, and the summer tour has promoted these new works to diverse audiences across Southeast Asia.
During their travels McCarthy and Savage also taught students at Chulalongkorn University (Bangkok), the Vietnam National Academy of Music (Hanoi) and SEGi College (Kuala Lumpur).
McCarthy has established herself as a leading soloist and chamber musician through national and international performance. She developed an appreciation for the musics of Southeast Asia while serving as associate professor of oboe at Mahidol University in Bangkok, Thailand.
McCarthy is assistant professor of music at WSU, where she teaches oboe and music history, and teaches at the Hartwick College Summer Music Festival. She has collaborated with professional chamber music ensembles, including WSU’s Solstice Wind Quintet and the Cross-winds Quintet (Bangkok, Thailand), and performs as solo English hornist of the Washington-Idaho Symphony.
McCarthy has held oboe and English horn positions with the Salaya and Evansville Philharmonics and the Owensboro Symphony Orchestra and has performed with the Nashville and Indianapolis Chamber Orchestras and the New Haven, Binghamton, Syracuse, Spokane and Louisville Symphonies.
Savage, also an assistant professor of music at WSU, has performed across North America in recitals, festivals and with orchestras. His orchestral appearances include performances with the Shreveport and Lincoln symphonies and orchestras in New York, Colorado, Pennsylvania and Wyoming.
Active as a soloist and chamber musician, Savage has performed in such venues as Alice Tully Hall and the Juilliard Theater and in festivals including FOCUS! Festival, Aspen Music Festival and the Banff Keyboard Festival.
A prizewinner of several national and international competitions, Savage recently traveled to Japan and China, where he gave a series of performances and master classes.
Further information about the concert program, composers and concert reviews is available at www.oboekeri.com.
