Molding young minds

Robert McDonald will perform tonight at 8 p.m. at the Bryan Hall Theatre. McDonald is a guest from Julliard.

Robert McDonald will perform tonight at 8 p.m. at the Bryan Hall Theatre. McDonald is a guest from Julliard.

Cori Uddenberg Evergreen Music reporter

 

Musicians are, above all, communicators.

Robert McDonald, a faculty member at Julliard School and an award-winning touring pianist, said that his belief in the communicative power of music guides both his passion for performing and teaching.

“The most important thing, the reason any of us do this, is to develop as completely as possible our role as communicators,” he said. “That’s the essential reason why any of us are drawn to this profession.

McDonald has long had a passion for piano, having played since he was seven years old. Though he said he also took cello lessons to satisfy his own curiosity, he never focused on anything as exclusively as he focused on piano.

“(Piano) had sort of a magnetic effect on me. From a very early age, music was of terrible importance to me,” McDonald said.

Karen Savage, WSU assistant professor of music in piano, first met McDonald when she took lessons from him at Julliard School.

“My husband and I both had lessons from Mr. McDonald while we were students at Julliard, so we have known him as a wonderful teacher and performer and an exceptional human being for a long time,” she said.

McDonald’s kindness and patience are what Savage said allow him to work so closely with other aspiring musicians in his role as an instructor.

Teaching was not always in the cards, though, McDonald said. The longer he studied music, the more he said he was inclined towards teaching piano to others.

“I supposed somewhere inside of me that was a deep set need,” McDonald said. “But it became obvious that I was going to go in that direction rather gradually.”

McDonald has been teaching for many years, and he began teaching at Julliard in 1999. Since then, he said he has slowly realized how deeply he cares about nurturing growth in young musicians.

“Teaching is so many-faceted,” he said. “It gives the students the technical skills they need to perform and open students’ eyes emotionally to what it requires to play these pieces.”

Savage said she believes WSU students will be able to learn from McDonald’s deep understanding of the emotions behind the music.

“I know that students’ horizons will be expanded and that they will be inspired by hearing Mr. McDonald demonstrate new possibilities at the piano, both in terms of expression and virtuosity,” Savage said.

McDonald has chosen to perform classic pieces of piano repertoire by composers Bach, Mendelssoh, Beethoven and Brahms.

“It’s not a simple matter to put together a stimulating program,” McDonald said. “I care very deeply about each piece I play and has a particular resonance…the most important thing is the closeness I feel to the music.”

It is McDonald’s deep appreciation for each piece he plays that Savage said makes him such a skilled pianist.

“Mr. McDonald possesses an incredibly beautiful color palette and an unbelievably rich concept of sound, creating gorgeous textures, colors and line at the piano,” Savage said. “He performs with great passion and conviction, and his great personal integrity is clearly conveyed in his performances.”

His artistry has not gone unnoticed, as McDonald has toured the globe and visited countries throughout Europe and Asia. Though McDonald said he is teaching more than performing at this time in his career, he still plays and tours often.

Though he has traveled extensively, he said his relationship with music has always lent him a sense of familiarity regardless of the locale.

“It makes one feel at home from one country to the next,” McDonald said. “It makes the connection to people whose cultures you don’t necessarily have a strong understanding of.”

McDonald has also performed in some of music’s renowned venues, like Carnegie Hall.

Savage said she is excited to welcome McDonald to WSU and hear him play on Bryan Hall’s new Steinway concert grand piano.

“I’m also thrilled that WSU students will hear his teaching and have a window into his artistry through his master class and concert,” Savage said. “We are grateful (and amazed) that he carved time out of his incredibly busy teaching and performing schedule to come to WSU, to perform on Tuesday night and work with our piano students on Monday afternoon.”

McDonald said that he made great efforts to facilitate his visit to WSU, as he values the opportunity to become involved in the world of music students.

“I did everything I could to make it work just because it allows me to become a part of the world they’re apart of as musicians,” he said. “It’s just the camaraderie and my curiosity that brings one there.”

McDonald will perform tonight at 8 p.m. in Bryan Hall. Tickets will be available at 7:30 p.m. in the lobby. Admission is $10 for adults, $5 for senior citizens and non-WSU students, and will be free for WSU students w/ ID.