Christopher to be joined by Hsieh, McDonald for Sept. 14 recital

NATCHITOCHES - Cellist Paul Christopher will present a recital on Thursday, Sept. 14 at 5:30 p.m. in Magale Recital Hall. Christopher will be joined by Dr. Chialing Hsieh on piano and Kelsey Wright McDonald on flute.Admission is free and open to the public. A livestream will be available at capa.nsula.edu/livestream.

The concert will feature works dedicated to the late music educator and composer Dr. Joe Alexander and Northwestern State music alumna Zendra White who passed away recently. Included will be compositions by Alexander, Ralph Shapey, Kaija Saariaho and Beethoven.

Christopher received his Bachelor of Music Education from the New England Conservatory of Music and his Master of Music in Cello Performance from the University of Memphis. In 2005, Christopher joined the string faculty at Northwestern State where he is associate professor of violoncello and music theory. He has appeared as clinician, adjudicator and guest artist throughout the United States and internationally. Christopher's articles have been published in American String Teacher, Bass World, the Jacques Offenbach Society Newsletter and Strings. In 2017, he was awarded the Mildred Hart Bailey Research Award in recognition of his exceptional scholarship as a faculty member at NSU. He has recorded works by a variety of contemporary composers, as well as the cello duos of Jacques Offenbach, with seven CD's available on the Human Metronome label. For more information, go to http://www.paulchristophercello.com

Hailed as a "brilliant pianist" (Fanfare), Hsieh has performed recitals in Europe, Asia, and throughout the United States and has been a featured pianist on seven CDs for the Centaur, Innova, Enharmonic and Ballpark record labels. Hsieh is associate professor of collaborative piano at Northwestern State and has given masterclasses throughout the United States and abroad and served as a judge and adjudicator for competitions and events. She earned her M.M. and D.M.A. in piano performance at the University of Cincinnati, College-Conservatory of Music.

McDonald is an active performer, teacher, and clinician in the Arklatex area. She served as adjunct instructor of flute at Northwestern State University from 2016 to 2021 and has performed with the Texarkana Symphony, Rapides Symphony, Marshall Symphony, Northeast Texas Symphony and East Texas Symphonic Band. An enthusiastic advocate of contemporary music, McDonald has premiered works for the Southeastern Composers League Forum and the late World Harp Congress director Carrol McLaughlin. International performances include the 2019 World Association for Symphonic Bands and Ensembles conference in Buñol, Spain. McDonald has maintained thriving woodwind studios in Arizona, Texas, and Louisiana for over 20 years. She holds a Master of Music in performance from Northwestern State University and a Bachelor of Music from the University of Arizona.

For more information on the concert, call (318) 357-5802.

Caption

Kelsey Wright McDonald, left, Paul Christopher, center and Dr. Chialing Hsieh will be featured in a on Thursday, Sept. 14 at 5:30 p.m. in Magale Recital Hall.