Christopher Atzinger
Kellogg Community College will host internationally renowned pianist Dr. Christopher Atzinger for a Guest Artist Master Class and Recital event from 1 to 3 p.m. Wednesday, March 27, in the auditorium of the Davidson Visual and Performing Arts Center on KCC’s North Avenue campus.
The event – which is free and open to the public – will include performances by Atzinger and a number of his students from the St. Olaf College Music Department, where he serves as an associate professor of music. Atzinger will also listen to performances by students from KCC and the Community Music School of Battle Creek and offer feedback on how they can improve their technique.
Dr. Gerald Blanchard, a vocal music professor at KCC and coordinator of the college’s Individualized Music Lesson and Applied Arts Program Area, said the event is an atypical program in that it will serve as an interactive learning experience for students as well as an entertaining performance for community members.
“To have someone of this caliber come to our campus and work with our students is a big thing for us,” Blanchard said. “St. Olaf College is a major institution that is known worldwide for its level of music.”
Atzinger is a Michigan native who’s won awards for his work in the U.S. and abroad. He’s also been awarded multiple grants and fellowships, including a $25,000 McKnight Fellowship for Performing Artists last spring.
The Master Class Recital event is jointly sponsored by the Individualized Music Lesson and Applied Arts Program Area of KCC’s Arts and Communication Department and the Community Music School of Battle Creek, and two student musicians from each organization will perform as part of the master class portion of the afternoon.
KCC will be represented by Andrew L. Ruble and Megan Virus, while the Music School will be represented by Ethan Devyak and Ethan Powers.
Blanchard said in the past the college has brought in guest vocalists to support the college’s choral programs, and that this year he wanted to bring in pianists to highlight the strength of the college’s instrumental students.
“We have some very talented piano students,” he said, “and I wanted to do something very special for them.”
For more information about the event, contact Dr. Gerald Blanchard at 269-965-3931 ext. 2566 or at blanchardg@kellogg.edu. For more information about the music curriculum at Kellogg Community College, visit www.kellogg.edu/artscomm/music.html.
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