Pianist John Owings to perform at Goshen College Nov. 21

GOSHEN, Ind. -- The Goshen College Music Center and Indiana Music Teachers Association have joined forces to bring acclaimed pianist John Owings to perform Nov. 21 at 8 p.m. in Sauder Concert Hall.

Formerly a faculty member at Indiana University-South Bend, Owings has been a member of the faculty of Texas Christian University since 1990 where he holds the Herndon Professorship of Music. In 1993, the University conferred to him its highest award, the ChancellorÕs Award for Distinguished Research and Creative Activity, for his performances of the 32 Beethoven sonatas.

Since making his orchestral debut with the San Antonio Symphony at the age of 15, Owings has appeared as soloist with the symphony orchestras of Cleveland, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Fort Worth, Houston, the Boston Pops, the English Chamber Orchestra and the National Symphony Orchestras of Colombia and Peru. He has performed recitals in major cities in the United States, Latin America, Europe and the Far East and has been a guest artist at numerous music festivals. His compact disc recording on the Koch label -- "The American Piano" -- containing the piano sonatas of Barber, Copland and Carter, has received favorable critical acclaim. Also on the Koch label are his two recordings with violinist Fritz Gearhart, "The Unpublished Manuscripts of Quincy Porter" and "The Complete Works for Violin of Robert Casadesus."

The recipient of many prestigious awards and prizes, Owings won first prize in the 1975 Robert Casadesus International Piano Competition in Cleveland, the1968 London Liszt Society Competition and the Musical Arts Competition in Chicago in 1980. He has served on the juries for major international competitions including Casadesus, Gina Bachauer and Beethoven (in Vienna).

Following his early musical training in his native Texas, Owings studied at the Royal College of Music in London as a Fulbright Scholar. Later, his studies took him to Switzerland, Italy and the Juilliard School, where he received a master's degree. His teachers have included Dalies Frantz, Rosina Lhevinne, Martin Canin, Karl Leifheit, Geza Anda and Wilhelm Kempff.

Owings consistently wins enthusiastic praise from audiences and critics for his exciting pianism and sensitive artistry. "Real spiritual elation" was how the London Daily Telegraph described his playing of the Elliott Carter Piano Sonata. The Cleveland Plain Dealer called his playing a "fine blend of technical brilliance with expressivity" and the Houston Post, reviewing his performance of the Ravel G Major Concerto, said, "the audience was spellbound."

The concert costs $5 for admission, $3 for students and seniors. Tickets can be purchased at the door or ordered in advance by calling the Goshen College Welcome Center at 574-535-7566.

Goshen College, established in 1894, is a four-year residential Christian liberal arts college rooted in the Anabaptist-Mennonite tradition. The college's Christ-centered core values -- passionate learning, global citizenship, compassionate peacemaking and servant-leadership -- prepare students as leaders for the church and world. Recognized for its unique Study-Service Term program, Goshen has earned citations of excellence in Barron's Best Buys in Education, Kaplan's "Most Interesting Colleges" guide and U.S.News & World Report's "America's Best Colleges" edition, which named Goshen a "least debt college." Visit www.goshen.edu.

Editors: For more information, contact Jodi H. Beyeler at (574) 535-7572 or jodihb@goshen.edu.

###