Pianist to perform guest recital at Northwestern

Northwestern College will present a lecture recital by pianist Rick Andrews on Thursday, Jan. 21, at 11:05 a.m. in Christ Chapel. The event is free and open to the public.

Andrews will present “The Many Wonders of Ravel’s ‘Gaspard de la Nuit,’” a suite of pieces for solo piano written by Maurice Ravel in 1908. The piece is made up of three movements, each based on a poem from the Gaspard de la Nuit, or “Gaspard of the Night,” collection. The piece is famous for its technical challenges and musical structure and is often regarded as the most difficult solo piano piece in the standard repertoire.

A professor of music and director of keyboard at Augustana University in Sioux Falls, S.D., Andrews teaches courses in music theory, applied piano, piano literature and piano pedagogy. In 2015, he received the college’s Faculty Recognition Award, which recognizes outstanding teaching and contributions to the Augustana community.

Off campus, he presents performances and lectures throughout the upper Midwest region. He has appeared as a piano soloist with the South Dakota Symphony Orchestra, the Arkansas Symphony Chamber Orchestra, the Dallas Civic Symphony Orchestra and the Milledgeville Chamber Orchestra. He has also served on the faculty at numerous colleges and universities, including Georgia College, Arkansas College, the University of Arkansas and Southern Methodist University.

Andrews has been awarded high honors at major competitions, including the Greater Southwest Music Festival, the Dallas Civic Symphony Concerto competition, and the International Beethoven Sonata competition. He was also named the gold medalist in the International Piano Recording competition.

After earning both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in piano performance and piano pedagogy at Southern Methodist University, Andrews completed a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in piano performance from the University of Colorado.