Pianist Miroslava Panayotova to Present Solo Piano Concert, 'Blue — Dreams, Nights...'

Pianist Miroslava Panayotova will perform "Blue - Dreams, Nights…" a solo piano concert as part of the Department of Music's SHE Festival of Women in Music. The concert is at 3 p.m. Sunday, March 10, in the Stella Boyle Smith Concert Hall. The concert is free and open to the public.

The "centerpiece" of the program is a set of six pieces Blue As In My Dreams (2006) by Kim Osteen-Petreshock. The set explores six hues that take us into the universe of blue — Sky, Aquamarine, Turquoise, Lapis Lazuli, Indigo, and Sea.

Three pieces by Mel Bonis (1858-1937), French woman composer, are part of a series of portraits dedicated to legendary women: the delicate romantic-impressionistic Mélisande, the light of her hair trembling like golden birds; the quietly mysterious Phœbé, who symbolizes the moon and the night, and creates the impression of infinity; and the melancholically beautiful Shakespearean Desdemona.

Also on the program are The Dream Rags of William Albright and The Eternal Feminine by William Bolcom - a glimpse from the ragtime revival of the late 1960s and 1970s. Continuing the dreaming and nocturnal journey, Fandango by Candlelight by Enrique Granados (1867-1916) is one of the most virtuosic and seductive works of the Spanish composer, from his masterpiece, the suite Goyescas. The final composition on the concert is The Body of Your Dreams for piano and soundtrack by the Dutch composer Jacob TV.

ABOUT THE FESTIVAL

In conjunction with Women's History Month, the Department of Music in the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences is hosting and inaugural, month-long festival throughout March highlighting the major role that women have played in the art of music.

SHE, A Festival of Women in Music will recognize women across the field with an array of music featuring women composers and performers.

"Music often breaks down the barriers that separate us," said Ronda Mains, chair of the Department of Music.

Mains said that in a time when society often strains to listen, "SHE makes room for audiences to hear new sounds, to feature composers of fame and lesser-known stature, and to amplify exceptional stories—all drawing attention to compositions by women, works inspired by women, and music for women."

Mains said that SHE also crosses borders, intends to evoke an emotional response, and will prompt historical and cultural memories for all who attend.

With guest lectures, performances of Western art music and contemporary music, and a one-woman play, the festival is filled with events that will spur thought and excite audiences.

SHE is sponsored by Adventure Subaru of Fayetteville and presented in partnership with the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences Humanities Program, the Jim and Joyce Faulkner Performing Arts Center, and the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the University of Arkansas.

More information about this event can be found on the Department of Music's website.