Second guest in the Mentor in Residence series at the University of Minnesota, Crookston is 
concert pianist John McKay. While visiting campus, McKay will perform a special recital on February 22, 2010, dedicating the grand piano in Evergreen Hall, located on the south side of campus. The recital will begin at 7:30 p.m. in Evergreen and refreshments will be served following his performance. The concert is free and everyone is invited to attend.
McKay's performance will include Sonata in C Major, Hob. XVI/48 Haydn (1732-1809); Sonata in E flat major, op. 31, no. 3 Beethoven (1770-1827); Barcarolle in F sharp major, op. 60 Chopin (1810-1849); and Le Tombeau de Couperin Ravel (1875-1937).
John McKay retired as a professor of piano from Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minn., in 2004, and now performs frequently throughout the Midwest and beyond. He is often heard as a soloist with the Mankato Symphony Orchestra. A native of Montreal, Canada, Dr. McKay earned his Bachelor's degree in Music from McGill University, and his graduate degrees at the Eastman School of Music.
From 1962 to 1969, McKay lived in Europe and gave recitals in Brussels, London, Vienna, Amsterdam, Lisbon, Munich, Berlin and Cologne. During the 1971-72 concert season, while teaching at the University of Toronto, McKay presented the complete works for solo piano by Johannes Brahms in a series of four recitals at Toronto's Town Hall. As a result of a sabbatical leave granted him in 1985-86, he performed Beethoven's 32 Piano Sonatas in a series of eight concerts.
In July 2000, McKay and his wife, Sara, were honored by the Minnesota State Arts Board for their service to music in their community. This recital is the second time McKay has been in concert on the Crookston Campus; he presented a recital in 2008 in Kiehle Auditorium.
For more information on the concert, contact George French, director of music and theater, at 218-281-8266 (gfrench@umn.edu).
The Mentor in Residence program, under the direction of Gary Willhite, director of residential life, is built around the idea of living and learning. The primary objective is to enhance academic learning by providing an opportunity for students to develop and to participate in a relationship and dialogue that provides for a more intimate learning experience. The concert is sponsored in conjunction with the University of Minnesota, Crookston Music Department and the Concerts and Lectures Committee.
Today the University of Minnesota, Crookston delivers more than 25 bachelor's degree programs and 50 concentrations, including several online degrees, in agriculture and natural resources; arts, humanities and social sciences; business; and math, science and technology. With an enrollment of about 1,300 undergraduates, the Crookston campus offers a supportive, close-knit atmosphere that leads to a prestigious University of Minnesota degree. "Small Campus. Big Degree." To learn more, visit www.umcrookston.edu.
concert pianist John McKay. While visiting campus, McKay will perform a special recital on February 22, 2010, dedicating the grand piano in Evergreen Hall, located on the south side of campus. The recital will begin at 7:30 p.m. in Evergreen and refreshments will be served following his performance. The concert is free and everyone is invited to attend. McKay's performance will include Sonata in C Major, Hob. XVI/48 Haydn (1732-1809); Sonata in E flat major, op. 31, no. 3 Beethoven (1770-1827); Barcarolle in F sharp major, op. 60 Chopin (1810-1849); and Le Tombeau de Couperin Ravel (1875-1937).
John McKay retired as a professor of piano from Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minn., in 2004, and now performs frequently throughout the Midwest and beyond. He is often heard as a soloist with the Mankato Symphony Orchestra. A native of Montreal, Canada, Dr. McKay earned his Bachelor's degree in Music from McGill University, and his graduate degrees at the Eastman School of Music.
From 1962 to 1969, McKay lived in Europe and gave recitals in Brussels, London, Vienna, Amsterdam, Lisbon, Munich, Berlin and Cologne. During the 1971-72 concert season, while teaching at the University of Toronto, McKay presented the complete works for solo piano by Johannes Brahms in a series of four recitals at Toronto's Town Hall. As a result of a sabbatical leave granted him in 1985-86, he performed Beethoven's 32 Piano Sonatas in a series of eight concerts.
In July 2000, McKay and his wife, Sara, were honored by the Minnesota State Arts Board for their service to music in their community. This recital is the second time McKay has been in concert on the Crookston Campus; he presented a recital in 2008 in Kiehle Auditorium.
For more information on the concert, contact George French, director of music and theater, at 218-281-8266 (gfrench@umn.edu).
The Mentor in Residence program, under the direction of Gary Willhite, director of residential life, is built around the idea of living and learning. The primary objective is to enhance academic learning by providing an opportunity for students to develop and to participate in a relationship and dialogue that provides for a more intimate learning experience. The concert is sponsored in conjunction with the University of Minnesota, Crookston Music Department and the Concerts and Lectures Committee.
Today the University of Minnesota, Crookston delivers more than 25 bachelor's degree programs and 50 concentrations, including several online degrees, in agriculture and natural resources; arts, humanities and social sciences; business; and math, science and technology. With an enrollment of about 1,300 undergraduates, the Crookston campus offers a supportive, close-knit atmosphere that leads to a prestigious University of Minnesota degree. "Small Campus. Big Degree." To learn more, visit www.umcrookston.edu.
Contact: George French, director, music and theater, 218-281-8266 (gfrench@umn.edu); Elizabeth Tollefson, assistant director, communications, 218-281-8432 (ltollefs@umn.edu)
