Boulton and Barry to present recital of music for piano four-hands

ABERDEEN, S.D. (Press Release) – A husband and wife musical duo will perform an upcoming concert at Northern State University.

Dr. Kenneth Boulton and JoAnne Barry will present a recital of music for piano four-hands at 3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 4, in the Johnson Fine Arts Center Harvey and Cynthia Jewett Theater.

Featured on the program will be music by Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Leó Weiner and Johannes Brahms.

“We are very excited to present a program that combines some rarely performed gems with two significant works from the piano duet literature,” said Boulton, NSU dean of fine arts.

For more than 30 years, Boulton and Barry have presented piano duet and duo concerts throughout the United States and Europe. Enthusiastic advocates of piano ensemble playing, the husband and wife team are in demand for their lecture-demonstrations of four-hand technique and repertoire, particularly works appropriate for student use.

Originally from Seattle, Boulton received his bachelor’s degree in piano performance from Washington State University in Pullman, Wash., and master’s and doctoral degrees in piano performance from the University of Maryland at College Park. His recording, “Louisiana – A Pianist’s Journey,” was nominated for a 2007 Grammy Award for Best Classical Instrumental Solo without Orchestra. Boulton started at NSU in 2016 as the dean of the School of Fine Arts.

A native of Alexandria, Va., Barry holds a bachelor’s degree in organ from James Madison University in Harrisburg, Va. She pursued graduate studies in musicology and organ at Radford University in Radford, Va. Following her completion of a Master of Library Science at the University of Maryland, Barry served as an archivist for the Philadelphia Orchestra Association from 1990 to 2004.

Due to COVID-19, admission is free to all 2020-21 NSU School of Fine Arts events. Limited seating is available; passes will be distributed at the door on a first come, first served basis. Masks are required for all patrons, as mandated by the S.D. Board of Regents.

The recital will also be live-streamed over the NSU Music Department Facebook page.