David Allen Wehr to perform guest piano recital April 28 at Ouachita
April 19, 2013 - Kristen Barnard
David Allen Wehr will perform a guest piano recital on Sunday, April 28, at 2:30 p.m. in McBeth Recital Hall at Ouachita Baptist University. The recital is free and open to the public.
“Mr. Wehr is a former artist-in-residence at OBU and is invited to perform here frequently,”
said Dr. Ouida Keck, Addie Mae Maddox Professor of Music. “Since he has a professional
performing career, it gives our students the opportunity to hear a professional pianist
playing great musical works.
“This will be a program of variations, so the educational opportunities for students
will be invaluable,” Dr. Keck added, “in addition to providing the opportunity to
hear great compositions by Haydn, Beethoven and Brahms and a lively jazz improvisation
by the classically influenced jazz composer and pianist, Joe Utterback.”
Wehr was raised in a family of professional musicians. He grew up in Boise, Idaho,
where his parents directed the choir program at the Cathedral of the Rockies. He began
piano lessons at an early age and continued to sit under the piano instruction of
both his parents; Peggy Neighbors Erwin in Miami, Fla.; and with Edward Zolas at the
Cleveland Institute of Music.
He earned his Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from the University of Kansas,
where he also coached more than 40 master classes with Misha Dichter, Gary Graffman,
Byron Janis, Leon Fleisher and Malcolm Frager.
In addition, Wehr has won several piano competitions in his music career including
winning the Gold Medal at the renowned 1987 Santander International Piano Competition
in Spain, resulting in 120 concerts all over the world. He was also the National Federation
of Music Clubs Young Artist winner in piano in 1983.
Other awards include the NFMC 1982 Marie Morrisey Keith Award, the Oklahoma Symphony
Block 1977 Young Artist Award, the Wichita Symphony 1977 Naftzger Young Artist Award,
the Santa Barbara Symphony 1981 Young Artist Award, the Houston Symphony 1981 Ima
Hogg Young Artist Competition and the Carmel Music Society 1983 Young Artist Award.
For more information, contact Dr. Ouida Keck at [email protected] or (870) 245-5352.
By Kristen Barnard
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