SUU Music Hosts World-Class Guest Artists
Published: March 01, 2023 | Author: Kol Gibson | Read Time: 3 minutes
Southern Utah University’s Department of Music will host a recital by guest artist Jason Hardink and a concert by Zion Trio in the Thorley Recital Hall in the first week of March. Jason Hardink will perform on Wednesday, March 8, 2023 at 7:30 p.m. and Zion Trio will perform on Friday, March 10, 2023, also at 7:30 p.m. Both of these recitals are free and open to the public.
Jason Hardink is a fearless interpreter of large-scale modern and historical piano works. His recent repertoire includes the complete Michael Hersch The Vanishing Pavilions, Olivier Messiaen’s Vingt Regards sur l’Enfant-Jésus, the Liszt Transcendental Etudes paired with the Boulez Notations, and Wolfgang Rihm’s numbered Klavierstücke, all of which he performs from memory. Originally from Rhode Island, Hardink is a graduate of both Oberlin Conservatory and the Shepherd School of Music. 
“Mr. Hardink is an exceptional artist who currently plays as the Principal Keyboardist for the Utah Symphony,” explains Dr. Christian Bohnenstengel, Director of Keyboard Studies at SUU. “When he came to SUU as a guest artist in 2018, he performed some of the most difficult music ever written for the piano. We are excited to once again have him on campus to play for us and give a masterclass to our Piano majors earlier that afternoon.”
After Wednesday’s masterclass and performance by Jason Hardink, Zion Trio will perform on Friday. The Zion Trio has been bringing major works from the standard repertoire for piano trio to southern Utah for several years, both as performers and instructors. The group consists of SUU’s own Dr. Christian Bohnenstengel on piano, violinist and Director of Strings and Orchestras at Utah Tech Dr. Paul Abegg, and cellist and Associate Professor of Music at Utah Tech Dr. Ka-Wai Yu. The Trio will be performing Antonin Dvořák’s piano trio Dumky and Maurice Ravel’s piano trio.
Dumky, more formally known as Piano Trio No. 4, is among Dvořák’s best-known works. Dumky, which is the plural form of Ukrainian dumka, refers to a type of Slavic ballad or lamentation that is very thoughtful. During the 19th century, Slavic composers used this format to create introspective, melancholic compositions with cheerful sections interspersed within.
Ravel’s piano trio draws inspiration from the composer’s Basque heritage as well as his impending enlistment in the French Army during World War One. The composer adopted an orchestral approach to his writing by utilizing the complete ranges of each instrument. He created a rich texture of sound that demands the highest level of proficiency from all three musicians.
Enjoy world-class compositions performed by world-class musicians Jason Hardink on March 8th and Zion Trio on March 10th in the Thorley Recital Hall of SUU’s Music Building. Both performances are free and open to the public. For more information about arts events at SUU, please visit www.suu.edu/arts.
About the College of Performing and Visual Arts
The College of Performing and Visual Arts (CPVA) at Southern Utah University comprises 41 academic programs including liberal arts (BA/BS) and professional (BFA, BM, BMEd) degrees in art, design, dance, filmmaking, music, and theatre. It includes graduate programs in the fields of arts administration (MFA, MA), music education (MME), and music technology (MM). More than 60 full-time faculty and staff are engaged in teaching and mentoring over 900 majors in the College. CPVA presents over 100 performances, lectures, presentations, and exhibitions each year and is affiliated with the Southern Utah Museum of Art (SUMA), Utah Shakespeare Festival, and the Center for Shakespeare Studies. Southern Utah University is an accredited member of the National Association of Schools of Art & Design (NASAD), National Association of Schools of Dance (NASD), National Association of Schools of Music (NASM), and the National Association of Schools of Theatre (NAST) making SUU the first public university in the state of Utah to be accredited by all four associations. For more information about the College of Performing and Visual Arts, visit www.suu.edu/pva.
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