POINT LOOKOUT, MO. — Guest artists Blue Violet Duo will perform Tuesday, April 21, in the Newman Recital Hall in the Gittinger Music Center at College of the Ozarks at 7:30 p.m. as part of the College of the Ozarks 2025-26 featured Guest Artist Series.
Blue Violet Duo features Dr. Kate Carter, violinist, and Dr. Louise Chan, pianist.
Carter is a versatile performer based in Chicago with experience ranging from soloist to chamber collaborator and orchestral musician. She is an in-demand speaker, adjudicator, and clinician, as well as a dedicated violin instructor, teaching at the Northwestern Music Academy and North Park University.
Chan, a native of Ottawa, Canada, is a Chicago-based classical pianist, chamber musician, orchestral keyboardist, and music educator. As a music educator, Chan maintains a busy studio of young and adult piano students at the Music Institute of Chicago. She is a member of the Royal Conservatory of Music’s College of Examiners and is frequently invited as a competition judge in the Midwest.
Program
Four Scenes of Childhood (1948) - Franz Waxman (1906-1967) [8 minutes]
I. Good Morning
II. Promenade
III. Playtime
IV. The Fairy Princess
Histories (2023) - Luke Carlson (b.1983) [15 minutes]
I. The Face of the Deep: Antiquity
II. Mystery Play: Middle Ages
III. Harmony of the Worlds: Renaissance
IV. Pleasant Artifice: Baroque
V. Micromégas: Classical
VI. The Hymn and the Secret: Romantic
VII. Figure and Ground: Modern
PAUSE
Sonata No. 1 for piano and violin Op. 37 (1848) - Louise Farrenc (1804-1875) [22 minutes]
I. Largo - Allegro
II. Poco adagio
III. Finale: Allegro Vivace
Six Morceaux (1867) - Pauline Viardot (1821-1910) [18 minutes]
I. Romance
II. Bohémienne
III. Berceuse
IV. Mazourke
V. Vielle chanson
VI. Tarentelle
In addition to presenting a delightful concert that will include a work by College of the Ozarks associate professor Dr. Luke Carlson, the duo will host a reading session for C of O composition students. Students have each prepared a work for the duo to perform and provide musical and technical feedback.
“We are thrilled to host the Blue Violet Duo at C of O,” Carlson said. “This is a great opportunity for our students to interact with and learn from professional musicians.”
The concert is free and open to the public. Seating is limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis.
About Blue Violet
Formed in 2013, the Chicago-based duo was born of friendship and musical kinship and gained immediate recognition, winning a competition that led to their performance in Carnegie's Weill Hall in New York in February of 2014. Promoting music of today's composers is an important part of their mission, and they have premiered works written for the duo by Amos Gillespie, Don Meyer, and John Nichols III, as well as many others. Their critically acclaimed 2018 debut album, American Souvenirs, funded in part by a grant from Chicago's Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, was selected as WFMT's "New Release of the Day" in October 2018. They have been invited for repeat performances on the Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concert Series, most recently in January 2022. They enjoy bringing to light lesser-known, engaging works to surprise and delight audiences everywhere. For more information, visit bluevioletduo.com