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Piano professor releases 16-CD box set 'Dedications'
Steven Spooner is an associate professor of piano at the University who has recently recorded his own professional box set called "Dedications."
▶ JOSH MCQUADE
@L0neW0lfMcQuade
n 1991, he found himself in the war zone of the Georgian Civil War. Today, University associate professor of piano Steven Spooner has recorded a 19-month project: a 16-CD set.
Spooner, an associate professor of piano at the University, is also a professional pianist that has performed internationally. The professor decided to come to the University because of the reputation that precedes it for pianists.
Although Spooner is successful in the world of piano today, the road to get there took a turn when Spooner was 18 years old. When traveling as a part of a Russian exchange program to the Tbilisi Conservatory in Georgia, a country that was still under communist rule, Spooner found himself trapped. The Georgian Civil War had begun.
"Because it was a civil war, the army destroyed the main airport, so there was no flying in and out," Spooner said. "All of the people were trapped there for about six months."
The budding pianist was without heat in the middle of the Middle East winter, and found himself starving for food that his host family could not get.
"When you're put in situations like that, you realize truly how adaptable
the human is," Spooner said.
When Spooner was able to return home, he said his mother did not recognize him when he stepped off the plane due to the amount of weight he had lost.
Despite the struggle to recovery, that did not stop the pianist from returning to the Tbilisi Conservatory to complete his studies.
When you're put in situations like that,you realize truly how adaptable the human is,"
Steven Spooner Associate professor
Spooner has been playing the piano since the age of 9, but it was not always his decision. Spooner said his parents decided to sign him up for piano lessons.
"I grew up in the old days where kids didn't get to choose their extracurricular activities," Spooner said. "We had a piano, and everyone [in my house] would go learn how to play it."
Although Spooner at first was uninterested in the piano, a few years later, he was asking his parents for a separate room for the piano and a stereo, he said.
Spooner has worked with a variety of people due to his travels across the world. One person is Massimiliano Baggio, the associate director
of the Milan Conservatory. Baggio said he first met Spooner in 2010, when he invited Spooner to conduct a Master class at the Milan Conservatory in Italy.
"Both students and professors were enthralled by his natural and musical approach to music and teaching," Baggio said.
Baggio has performed alongside Spooner on the same piano, performing a piano four hands piece.
"Above all, I would put his ability to convey the inner meaning of music, which is proper only of the greatest musicians," Baggio said. "His playing is never conventional and goes always straight to the heart of the listener."
Spooner recorded a 16-CD box set titled "Dedications," a project which is normally seen at the end of a pianist's career, he said. The box set includes a CD that is dedicated to a pianist that inspired Spooner.
"My heroes, like Sviatoslav Richter, that guy played more music than anybody," Spooner said. "I felt like if I was going to properly honor him, then I had to do a lot of music."
Spooner said the box set was one of the hardest things he has done in his life, spending many days either recording or producing the music. He said to this day he still tackles each day with the same motivation seen while surviving the Georgian Civil War, and he tries to instill that in his students.
Weekend in KC: Comedy, film, ballet and music
▶ JOSH MCQUADE @L0neW0lfMcQuade
Kansas City Film Fest @ Cinemark Palace
The Kansas City Film Fest will hold over 50 showings of various local, national and international films Wednesday, beginning at 7 p.m., until Sunday, ending at about 8 p.m.
According to Visit KC, the Kansas City Film Fest is the largest festival in the Kansas City area. This year, the festival will not only show various submitted documentaries, feature films and shorts, but it will also screen short films featuring dogs, with 50 percent of all ticket sales going to the KC Pet Project. The festival will also feature "The Tree," a film in which University senior Cedric Houle is featured in. Houle said "The
Tree" was his favorite project to date, and will be making its second film festival appearance.
Tickets and the schedule are available at the Kansas City Film Fest website. Tickets are either $45 for a Gold Pass, allowing the viewing of all movies, or $10 for a single film.
Comedy's Most Wanted @ The Midland
entertainment companies came together to create the tour: AEG Presents, Peachez and the Silent Partner. DJ Traci Steele will also be performing music to keep the crowd going during the show. This will be the second performance of their tour.
Tickets are available for purchase at the Midland website, starting at $47.75.
Contributed photo
The Kansas City Ballet will perform five shows of "The Sleeping Beauty"
this weekend.
A five-person comedy tour is stopping at the Midland on Friday at 7:30 p.m.
The show will feature the comedy stylings of JJ Williamson, former Comedy Central's "The Nightly Show" correspondent and "Breaking Bad" star Lavell Crawford, Dominique, Corey Holcomb and DC Young Fly. According to the Comedy's Most Wanted website, three
Kansas City Ballet Presents: Sleeping Beauty@ The Kauffman Center
According to Kansas City Ballet, the show will stick
to the same plotline as the original "Sleeping Beauty." It will feature Princess Aurora being put to sleep by wicked godmother Carabosse, with Prince Désiré having to wake the princess up. The story will be told through dance and music, featuring the Kansas City Symphony. Ticketholders can also show up to the show an hour early to listen to a Pre-Curtain Talk about the makings of the show they are about to see.
The Kansas City Ballet is performing its rendition of the Disney classic "The Sleeping Beauty" at the Kauffman Center Thursday at 7:30 p.m., Friday at 7:30 p.m., Saturday at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m.
Tickets are available for purchase at the Kansas City Ballet website, starting at $60.50.
Chris Tomlin @ The Sprint Center
Christian music star Chris Tomlin is stopping at the Sprint Center Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. while on his "Worship Night in America"
tour.
According to the Sprint Center, Tomlin is a Grammy award-winning artist and will be joined by artists B Daddy Weave, Phil Wickham, Zach Williams, Mosaic MSC and Jason Barton. Tomlin is best known for his recordings of "I Lift My Hands" and "Whom Shall I Fear," both
of which incorporate themes of faith. Tomlin is known for performing using his powerful voice and piano.
Tickets are available for purchase at the Sprint Center website, starting at $28.75.
- Edited by Erin Brock
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