April 9, 2004

Longtime Friends To Perform Piano Concerts At Boise State In May

Two longtime friends, who between them represent a century of piano performance, will present consecutive Sunday concerts at 4 p.m. May 2 and May 9 in the Morrison Center Recital Hall. Admission is $5 general, $3 seniors and free for students and Boise State faculty and staff. Call 426-3980 for more information. James Cook, chair of the Boise State University department of music, and Robert Bowman, professor emeritus at California State University, Chico, met at the University of Southern California in the 1970s. Both were working on their doctoral programs and became lifelong friends sharing musical techniques as well as a common spirituality and philosophy of life. Cook will play on May 2, performing works by J.S. Bach and Schubert as well as Beethoven’s “Appassionata Sonata” and Mendelssohn’s “Variations Serieuse.” On May 9, Bowman’s performance will include Bach’s “Partita No. 5 in G major,” Chopin’s “Etudes,” Debussy’s “Preludes” and Brahms’ “Sonata in f minor.” Cook is an accomplished harpsichordist, clavichordist and fortepianiast who has performed throughout the Northwestern United States on National Endowment of Humanities Fellowships. In the 1980’s he toured Europe and was a featured artist at the International Haydn Festival in Fertod, Hungary. He recently recorded a CD performance of the first volume of the Well Tempered Clavier by Bach. Bowman has performed extensively in the United States, Europe and Mexico and has appeared on radio and television. He has appeared as piano and harpsichord soloist with several orchestras, including the Chico Symphony Orchestra, Paradise Symphony Orchestra, New Rochelle Symphony and performs in chamber groups, quartets and other small groups. Bowman also actively performs and lectures on various topics at local, regional and state meetings of several music associations. He currently teaches master classes and workshops as well as solo recitals. -30- Contact James Cook Department of Music 208 426-1773 Media Contact Kathleen Craven communications and marketing 208 426-3275