piano - arielartists.comarielartists.com/epk/oni_buchanan_presskit.pdf · · [email protected] Oni Buchanan piano biography Concert pianist ONI BUCHANAN performs an incredible

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Oni Buchananpiano

biography

Concert pianist ONI BUCHANAN performs an incredible range of

piano literature, with her focus and expertise running from the

miniature keyboard works of François Couperin to the syncopa-

tions of Bach to the fire and brimstone of Beethoven to the moody

cycles of Schumann to the lush expanses of Ravel to the sarcasm

and lyricism of Prokofiev to the peasant dances of Bartók, and—

bringing her into the most contemporary musical moment—to the

exceptional works of women composers writing today.

Ms. Buchanan’s concert programming is often interdisciplinary in

nature, directly engaging the intimate connections between the

arts, and frequently including adventurous contemporary works

alongside established repertoire, bringing works from disparate

centuries into fascinating and enlightening conversation. Ms. Bu-

chanan has performed solo recitals in major cities throughout the

U.S. and abroad, at such U.S. venues as the National Gallery of

Art in Washington, D.C., the Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concerts

in Chicago, the Center for New Music and Audio Technologies

(CNMAT) in Berkeley, the Bechstein Piano Centre in NYC, the

Lane Series in Burlington, the Baltimore Museum of Art, and the

Harvard University Hall Concert Series, among many others. She

has performed internationally at the Instituto Brasileiro de

Administração Municipal (IBAM) and the Centro Cultural Laurinda

Santos Lobo in Rio de Janeiro, the Casa Thomas Jefferson in

Brasília, the Associação Cultural Cachuera! in São Paulo, the Wil-

liam H. Buset Centre for Music and Visual Arts in Thunder Bay,

and at the University of Guelph and Conrad Grebel University

College in Guelph and Waterloo, respectively. In addition, Ms.

Buchanan has given ensemble performances in New England

Conservatory’s Jordan Hall, at Harvard University, and at the New

School of Music in Cambridge, MA, and has been a concerto

soloist with the Waynesboro Community Orchestra (VA),

conducted by Eric Stassen.

Oni Buchanan received her Master’s degree in piano performance

from the New England Conservatory of Music, her Bachelor’s

degree in music from the University of Virginia, and conducted

three years of her music studies at the University of Iowa School

of Music while pursuing an M.F.A. in poetry from the Iowa Writers’

Workshop. Her teachers have included Russell Sherman,

Stephen Drury, Daniel Epstein, Patricia Zander, Uriel Tsachor, and

Mimi Tung. In addition, she studied at the Aspen Music Festival in

the studios of Joseph Kalichstein and Gabriel Chodos, and has

been an active participant and performer in the New England

Conservatory Summer Institute for Contemporary Performance

Practice.

Ms. Buchanan is also an award-winning poet, and holds a B.A. in

English from the University of Virginia and an M.F.A. in poetry from

the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. Her second book of poetry, Spring

(University of Illinois Press, 2008), was selected by Mark Doty as

a winner of the National Poetry Series, and also received the 2009

Massachusetts Book Award. Her first poetry book, What Animal

(UGA Press, 2003), was chosen by Fanny Howe as winner of the

University of Georgia Press Contemporary Poetry Series

competition. Ms. Buchanan’s poems are featured in many

anthologies including The Best American Poetry 2004 and have

been published in numerous journals across the country. Ms.

Buchanan currently maintains a private piano studio in Boston.

Her discography includes three solo piano CDs on the

independent Velvet Ear Records label.

Photo by Jon Woodward


Oni Buchananpiano

program offerings for 2011/12 season

THE BODY ELECTRIC

Missy Mazzoli, Isabelle Eberhardt Dreams of Pianos (2007)

Mei-Fang Lin, Interaction (2001)

Carolyn Yarnell, The Same Sky (2000)

Michel Gonneville, Chute-Parachute (1989)

Keith Kirchoff, The Adventures of Norby (2007)

Jacob Ter Veldhuis, The Body of Your Dreams (2002)

In her program “The Body Electric,” Oni Buchanan explores the

body of the piano circulating with electricity. Situated somewhere

between artistic collaboration and emergent artificial intelligence,

the pieces on this program showcase many of the incredible

interactions that are possible between piano and electronic

accompaniment.

Three women composers make up the first half of the pro-

gram. Missy Mazzoli’s haunted (and haunting) dream-piece

Isabelle Eberhardt Dreams of Pianos half-recollects sounds

of the past, while Mei Fang Lin’s wispy, artificial insect wings

drift over propulsive rhythms, blending digital and acous-

tic sound in unexpected interactions. Carolyn Yarnell’s The

Same Sky is an epic of stasis and transformation, and calls

for a video of moving clouds to be projected on the inside

of the raised piano lid while the music warps and weaves.

The men of the second half have equally dissimilar approaches.

Michel Gonneville’s Chute-Parachute descends through a poin-

tillistic stratosphere, looking for (and never seeming to find) the

right note on which to land. Keith Kirchoff’s Adventures of Norby

roams everywhere from Baroque to hard rock. Finally, Jacob

TV’s hilarious The Body of Your Dreams incorporates (and finds

the music hidden in) audio snippets taken from an infomercial.

RADICAL INNOCENCE

Lachenmann, Ein Kinderspiel

Prokofiev, Tales of an Old Grandmother, Op. 31

Ravel, Mother Goose Suite

Schumann, Kinderszenen

Villa Lobos, A Prole do Bebê, Book 2, Nos. 5-9

Emblematic of a sublime innocence achieved when experience

itself has been transcended, and of the insight and renewal that

such innocence brings, the music on this program seems by turns

as ancient as the stars and as new as the pale shoot of a sprout-

ing plant. Ravel’s deceptively simple melodies unfold and swirl

with the unpredictable pace of the fairy tale. Prokofiev relates the

Tales of an Old Grandmother, mixing wisdom and awe with a gro-

tesque undercurrent held cunningly on the edge of audibility; as

his epigraph states: “Some recollections had become half erased

from her memory; others will never be erased.” Villa-Lobos ani-

mates a group of toy animals with a visionary excess of pianistic

brilliance, while Lachenmann’s icy explorations of the piano’s in-

ternal resonances could be mistaken for the first transmissions of

a baby satellite. The adult recollections of Schumann’s “Scenes

from Childhood,” and the deep compassion that the adult speaker

feels for the intensity of his own child-self’s every fantastical mo-

ment, create profound warmth and humanity, bestowing radi-

cal innocence and affirmation both upon himself and the listener.

“The soul recovers radical innocence

And learns at last that it is self-delighting,

Self-appeasing, self-affrighting,

And that its own sweet will is Heaven’s will”

--William Butler Yeats, from “A Prayer for My Daughter”


Oni Buchananpiano

concerto offerings (chronological by composer)

J. S. Bach (1685-1750)

Keyboard Concerto No. 1 in D minor, BWV 1052

Beethoven (1770-1827)

Concerto No. 3 in C minor, Op. 37

Chopin (1810-1849)

Concerto No. 1 in E minor, Op. 11

Ravel (1875-1937)

Concerto in G major

Bartók (1881-1945)

Concerto No. 3 in E major, Sz. 119

Shostakovich (1906-1975)

Concerto No. 1 for Piano, Trumpet and String Orchestra, Op. 35

Photo by Andrew Hurlbut

additional offerings

In addition to concert work, Oni Buchanan is available

for lecture/demonstrations, piano master classes, and

outreach programs including performances for young

audiences. As a published poet and a winner of the 2007

National Poetry Series, she is also available for poetry

readings, poetry workshops, and poetry craft classes. She

offers presentations on either music- or poetry-related

topics, interdisciplinary approaches to art, or the business

aspects of these careers, and has delivered special

lectures on topics such as digital literature (featuring her

“Mandrake Vehicles”) and the music of contemporary

women composers.


Photo by Lillie Anderson


Oni Buchananpiano

current & recent solo recital programs (selected)

IN THE MOMENT: WOMEN COMPOSERS OF THE 21ST CENTURYMissy Mazzoli, Orizzonte (2004, for piano and tape)

Cindy Cox, The blackbird whistling/Or just after (2001)

Hierosgamos III, IV, V (2003)

Tania Léon, Tumbao (2005)

Adina Izarra, Cónclave (2003)

Joan Tower, Throbbing Still (2000)

Mei-Fang Lin, Interaction (2001, for piano and tape)

Annie Gosfield, The Wanton Brutality of a Tender Touch (2006)

LE PIANO FRANÇAIS Couperin, set of works from Pièces de Clavecin

Fauré, Nocturne in Eb minor, Op. 33, No. 1

Debussy, Estampes

Messiaen, XIV. Regard des Anges (from Vingt Regards)

Ravel, Miroirs

IMPROMPTUS & FANTASIES Bach, Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue in D minor, BWV 903

Chopin, Fantasie-Impromptu No. 4 in C# minor, Op. 66

Schubert, Impromptu in C minor, Op. 90, No. 1

Impromptu in F minor, Op. 142, No. 4

Schumann, Fantasiestücke, Op. 12

POETRY IN PIANO Debussy, four Preludes from Book I

Brahms, Four Ballades, Op. 10

Scriabin, Poèmes, Op. 32 and 44

Liszt, Sonetto 104 del Petrarca

Villa-Lobos, Rudepoêma

Chopin, Ballade No. 1 in G minor, Op. 23

“AMERICAS” Kelly-Marie Murphy, Star Burning Blue

Ginastera, Danzas Argentinas

Copland, Four Piano Blues

Joan Tower, Throbbing Still

Tania Léon, Tumbao

Adina Izarra, Cónclave

Villa-Lobos, Rudepoêma

PORTRAITS, PICTURES & PRINTS FOR PIANO Couperin, set of four caricatures from Pièces de Clavecin

Ginastera, Danzas Argentinas

Debussy, Estampes

Mussorgsky, Pictures at an Exhibition

MOONLIGHT RECITAL Chopin, Nocturnes Op. 9, Nos. I and II

Debussy, “Les sons et les parfums tournent dans l’air du soir”

La danse de Puck

Clair de Lune

Kelly-Marie Murphy, Star Burning Blue

Fauré, Nocturne in Eb minor, Op. 33, No. 1

Samuel Barber, Nocturne, Op. 33

Beethoven, Sonata No. 14 in C# minor, Op. 27, No. 2 (“Moonlight”)

Photo by Stacy Kluck


Oni Buchananpiano


recent concert appearances (selected, 2005-2010)

Spears Music/Art Center, Columbia College,

Columbia, SC (upcoming 2011, 2008)

Razzo Hall, Traina Center for the Arts, Clark University,

Worcester, MA (2010, 2008)

Dr. Steel Recital Hall, University of Prince Edward Island,

Charlottetown, PEI (2010)

Wellesley Free Library Concert Series,

Wellesley, MA (2010, 2008)

Griffin First United Methodist Church Cultural Series,

Griffin, GA (2010, 2006)

Tuesday’s Music Live at Saint Paul’s Church,

Augusta, GA (2010)

Saco River Grange Hall, Bar Mills, ME (2010, 2009)

Smyrna Opera House, Smyrna, DE (2010)

The Center for Arts in Natick (TCAN), Natick, MA (2010)

Caldwell College Concert Series, Caldwell, NJ (2010)

CNMAT (Center for New Music & Audio Technologies),

UC Berkeley, Berkeley, CA (2010)

Newton Hall, Mercer University, Macon, GA (2010)

National Gallery of Art Concert Series,

Washington, DC (2010)

Hofheimer Theatre, Virginia Wesleyan College,

Norfolk, VA (2010)

Crown Concert Series, Church of the Apostles UCC,

Lancaster, PA (2009, 2004)

Peabody Institute Library Concert Series,

Peabody, MA (2009)

Drinko Recital Hall, Cleveland State University,

Cleveland, OH (2009)

William H. Buset Centre for Music and Visual Arts,

Lakehead University, Thunder Bay, Ontario (2009)

Brookline Library Music Association Concert Series,

Brookline, MA (2009)

Hertz Hall, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA (2009)

Snider Recital Hall, California State University,

Stanislaus, Turlock, CA (2009)

The Arts at St. John’s Concert Series, Lodi, CA (2009)

Classical Mondays Concert Series, Chicago Cultural Center,

Chicago, IL (2009)

Bechstein Piano Centre, New York, NY (2009)

Vashon Allied Arts Performance Series,

Vashon Island, WA (2009)

Groth Recital Hall, Eastern Oregon University,

La Grande, OR (2009)

ArtsQuest Series, Bismarck State College, Bismarck, ND (2009)

Alvord Theatre, Northland College, Ashland, WI (2009)

Winters School of Music Concert Series, William Carey University,

Hattiesburg, MS (2009)

LSU School of Music Performance Series,

Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA (2009)

The 9th Annual Women Composers Festival of Hartford,

West Hartford, CT (2009)

Cultural Arts Series, Temple Beth Zion, Buffalo, NY (2009)

Hobart & William Smith Colleges Guest Artist Series,

Geneva, NY (2009, 2007)

Sidney Lanier Cottage House Museum, Macon, GA (2009)

Stephen Wise Music Academy, Los Angeles, CA (2008, 2007)

Kenan Auditorium, University of North Carolina,

Wilmington, NC (2008)

Henry Pfeiffer Chapel, Pfeiffer University,

Misenheimer, NC (2008)



Oni Buchananpiano

recent concert appearances (selected, 2005-2010) (cont.)

Sextas Musicais, Casa Thomas Jefferson,

Brasilia, BRAZIL (2008)

Associação Cultural Cachuera!,

São Paulo, BRAZIL (2008)

Centro Cultural Laurinda Santos Lobo,

Rio de Janeiro, BRAZIL (2008)

The Silberman Series, Allegheny College,

Meadville, PA (2008)

Arts Alive! Cultural Series, Derry Presbyterian Church,

Hershey, PA (2008, 2005)

Promenade Concerts, Auburn University,

Montgomery, AL (2008)

Georgia College & State University,

Milledgeville, GA (2008, 2006, 2005)

University of Tennessee Guest Artist Concert Series,

Martin, TN (2008)

The Lane Series, University of Vermont,

Burlington, VT (2008)

St. Lawrence University Guest Recital Series,

Canton, NY (2008)

Harvard University Hall Recital Series,

Cambridge, MA (2008, 2007, 2004)

Adams Music Society at Harvard University,

Cambridge, MA (2008, 2006, 2005, 2004)

M. Steinert & Sons, Natick, MA (2008)

New School of Music,

Cambridge, MA (2007, 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003)

Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concerts, Chicago Cultural Center,

Chicago, IL (2007)

West Shore Community College

Center Stage Performing Arts Series, Scottville, MI (2007)

Thursdays at Noon Concert Series, University of Guelph,

Guelph, Ontario, CANADA (2007)

Noon Hour Series, Conrad Grebel University College, Waterloo,

Ontario, CANADA (2007)

Woods Memorial Presbyterian Church,

Severna Park, MD (2007, 2005)

W&J Arts Series, Washington & Jefferson College,

Washington, PA (2007)

LiveARTS Concerts in the Meetinghouse Series,

Franklin, MA (2007, 2005)

Instituto Brasileiro de Administração Municipal (IBAM),

Rio de Janeiro, BRAZIL (2007)

University of Dayton Arts Series, Dayton, OH (2007)

Honest Brook Music Festival, Delhi, NY (2007)

Rodgers Chapel, Mount Olive College, Mount Olive, NC (2007)

Kimball Theatre, Williamsburg, VA (2007)

Dancz Hall Center for New Music, University of Georgia,

Athens, GA (2007)

Music at the Morris, Morris Museum of Art, Augusta, GA (2007)

New School of Music,

Cambridge, MA (2007, 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003)

Ruth B. Shannon Center for the Performing Arts,

Whittier College, Whittier, CA (2006)

First Sundays Classical Concerts,

Chelmsford Public Library, Chelmsford, MA (2006)

Christ & St. Stephen’s Church, New York, NY (2006)

Gordon College Recital Series, Barnesville, GA (2006)

The Baltimore Museum of Art, Baltimore, MD (2005)

University of Virginia Art Museum, Charlottesville, VA (2005)

Newton Free Library Concert Series, Newton, MA (2005)

Paderewski Piano Series, Boston, MA (2005, 2004)


Oni Buchananpiano

concert testimonials


Oni Buchananpiano



Oni Buchananpiano



Oni Buchananpiano



Oni Buchananpiano



Oni Buchananpiano


Review of performance at Georgia College & State University,

Max Noah Recital Hall, April 17, 2005:

REVELATIONS AT THE KEYBOARD

By Dr. Richard Greene, Chairman of the GC&SU Music Department

When Oni Buchanan was engaged to play a recital for us this year, I took pains to make clear to her that our piano, a stalwart and some-

times cantankerous 7-foot Steinway was probably not what she was used to, especially for her program – Couperin, Ginastera, Debussy,

Mussorgsky: all colorists; and altogether calling for great diversity of touch. Oni seemed unconcerned, and I now know that in future I

will also be so.

From the opening movements of the Couperin, a composer I had never heard rendered well on the modern piano, Oni opened up a

palette so glorious that the audience would forget that these pieces were originally intended for harpsichord – or, for that matter, that we

were listening to a piano. The sound shimmered, crystalline in the hall, all pastel and nuance. Rhythmic interplay and melodic phrasing

existed outside of time for us. I had not realized until that moment just how “modern” Couperin was in his thinking; or, at least, how well

he would have gotten along with the other composers on this program.

Ginastera’s Danzas Argentinas was similarly rendered, though with the richness and thick sense of line that his folkloric works demand.

Of particular note was Oni’s handling of the often over-sentimentalized second dance, Danza de la moza donosa. She gave us a much

more complex characterization with a sharp edge, a suppressed fire and a bit of a “pout” that added much depth to the piece and

illuminated the surprising last chord.

Oni’s performance overall was marked by a true virtuosity, one that is born from the music itself. To say that Oni is a colorist is almost to

miss the point; rather she understands and conveys the essence of the music. In the Debussy Estampes we have the perfect example.

Every good pianist develops the light touch required by Debussy’s music, but not every good pianist finds the touch, the “sense” of

speed, that allows the sound to transcend the mechanics to open us to the heart of Debussy’s music. Many pianists are happy to make

these Estampes movements pleasantly exotic, but Oni went beyond the obvious, working out the arrangement of texture and rhythmic

line and melodic figure to create a complex and rich experience much like the paintings of Monet and Pissarro – and one with the

sensuousness of Matisse.

It was enough to have been given so much in the first half of the program, but we were treated, as a second half, to the great Mussorg-

sky keyboard fantasy, Pictures at an Exhibition. As might be expected at this point, this was a tour de force for Oni, and it was only by

some miracle that our piano held up under the strain of such wide technical and artistic demands. The piece really requires a concert

grand, but Oni found a way to make the piece work with the instrument at hand. I can only say “Brava!”

Oni Buchanan is also a poet, and we might say simply that, in her playing, she approaches the piano as a poet might. But what this

really means is that Oni’s playing goes beyond the piano, and beyond artistry, to reach the heart of the matter, to art itself.

And our poor dear Steinway now thinks of herself as a star!


Oni Buchananpiano

additional concert testimonials

“Oni Buchanan is a species unto herself. Her playing is informed by a persuasively lyrical touch in the service of great poise and charm.

No less affable than intelligent, her combination of brains, devotion, and personality produces a highly principled and attractive

approach to art and to music.”

- Russell Sherman, Distinguished Artist in Residence,

New England Conservatory, Boston, MA

“Buchanan is a true artist, full of creativity and unique interpretations. Her technique is meticulous, dazzling and powerful, and her

spirit is generous and alive. All this comes through in her music.”

- Geoffrey Peters, Founder and Current Director of University Hall Concert Series,

Harvard University

“Oni Buchanan is a lovely person and a great artist. The audience responded with the warmest applauses, particularly in regards to

the Villa-Lobos. Her interpretation of Rudepoêma was completely full of passion; I’ve never heard someone play that piece bringing

this variety of sound and character as she did. Absolute success!”

- Riva Fineberg, Diretora Cultural, Instituto Brasileiro de Administração Municipal (IBAM), Rio de Janeiro, BRAZIL

“Oni Buchanan was terrific. We scheduled Oni’s concert late on a weekday afternoon, after a full day of other performances, events,

and workshops, not knowing what the turnout would be. We needn’t have worried—she packed our largest auditorium and gave a

stunning concert that is still being talked about. Several hundred students, faculty and visitors turned out for what many would recall as

the highlight of an extraordinary week that brought writers from around the country and featured film and other musical performances.

Oni performed an amazing thematically interesting and technically challenging concert that left the audience breathless, then cheering.

Next day, she conducted a poetry workshop. We had planned for 30-40 participants but wound up with more than a hundred. Word

had surely spread about her. Her workshop was lively and inspiring. Many commented that it offered the most participatory experi-

ence of any of the many workshops and was one of the most dynamic presentations of Writers Week. Throughout, Oni conducted her-

self with true professionalism in all respects. She was gracious, conscientious, mindful of her audience, respectful of her students, and

generous to all. In short, she was exactly the sort of writer and performer we wanted to offer as an exemplar to our community of writers.”

- Philip Gerard, Chair, Department of Creative Writing, UNC Wilmington

“Oni Buchanan’s ravishing ‘Poetry in Piano’ presentation was a highlight of the Whittier Writers’ Festival, a fascinating blend of

virtuoso performance and incisive discussion of the structural principles that carry over from music to poetry and from poetry to music.

I was pleased as well by her generosity of spirit as shown in the care she took with student after student in individual meetings with

poetry writing students and in her visit to our writing workshop. She is a truly original act, a fine poet, and a wonderful musician.”

- Dr. Tony Barnstone, Professor of English and Founder of Whittier Writers’ Festival, Whittier College, Whittier, CA


Oni Buchananpiano

master class & outreach testimonials


Oni Buchananpiano

master class & outreach testimonials (cont.)

“Learning and laughter are not always deemed compatible in our profession, but Oni Buchanan’s master class was an

object lesson in how they can reinforce and enhance one another. Her comments were incisive without being the least bit

corrosive, and my students benefited greatly from her teaching. Both her performance and the master class were superb!”

- Dr. Gregory Pepetone, Director of Keyboard Activities,

Georgia College & State University

“What a beautiful combination of poetry, music and personality! Oni Buchanan was truly outstanding in her outreach program

for our local fourth, fifth and sixth graders. The connections that she made between the poetry she chose and the music that

expressed these poetic themes were extremely well done. I honestly believe that the students - and teachers! - came away from this

program with a new found respect for poetry and music, and the strong bond that exists between the two. Thank you, Oni!”

- David Palmer, Broadoaks School Outreach Coordinator,

Whittier, CA

Photo by Mark Stehle

Documents

piano - arielartists.comarielartists.com/epk/oni_buchanan_presskit.pdf · · [email protected] Oni Buchanan piano biography Concert pianist ONI BUCHANAN performs an incredible