Blair School of Music presents a Master Series faculty recital by violinist/violist Christina McGann, Wednesday, March 20, 8:00 p.m., in Turner Hall. The collaborative program, Pedagogy in Performance, will feature four contemporary compositions with special pedagogical ties.
This is a free event with tickets required for admission. Doors to Turner Hall will open 15 minutes prior to show start. Late seating will be at artist discretion.
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Twinkle, by Michael Slayton, is a set of variations on the popular tune that takes us through musical history. It will be performed by Christina McGann and five of her precollege students ages 7-14: Hannah Chou, Kerina Li, Eric Jensen, Sofia Jensen, and Molly Xie.
Madrigal for two violins is composed by Blair Academy MJB Scholar Madison Chung, It is inspired by the compositions of Maddalena Casulana, an Italian Renaissance composer who was possibly the first woman to ever publish a book.
Tilt for violin and piano will be a world premiere composed by Cristina Spinei and choreographed and performed by Mollie Sansone, Resident Choreographer of the Nashville Ballet. This work is inspired by Dalcroze Eurhythmics and is intended for both the concert stage and pedagogical study.
The final work on the program is Samuel Zyman’s Viola Sonata, dedicated to the late Michael White. The composer and dedicatee were both important teachers of Christina McGann who will perform the work with pianist Heather Conner.
About Christina McGann:
Christina McGann has been a featured performer at the Kennedy Center, the Tel Aviv Performing Arts Center, New York City’s Merkin Hall, Symphony Space, and Bargemusic, and at various venues throughout the U.S., Korea, El Salvador, and Europe. She has also performed concertos with orchestras including the National Symphony Orchestra, the Richardson Symphony, Musica Bella Orchestra in New York, the Moldovan Chamber Orchestra, the National Chamber Orchestra in Washington D.C., Ohio University New Music Ensemble, and the St. Petersburg Academic Symphony in Russia.
McGann has been awarded prizes at the Johansen International Competition, the National Symphony Young Soloist Competition, the Lennox Competition, the Ackerman Chamber Music Competition with Trio Artica, Chamber Music Yellow Springs with the iO Quartet, and the Fischoff Chamber Music Competition.
She holds both B.Mus. and M.Mus. degrees in violin performance from The Juilliard School, where she was accepted with Presidential Distinction. Her foundational teachers include Ronald Copes, Victor Danchenko, Robert Mann, and Donald Weilerstein. She also completed her doctoral degree at SUNY Stony Brook under the guidance of Soovin Kim, Philip Setzer, and Hagai Shaham.
Also, an avid educator, McGann began her teaching career in New York as a Juilliard Morse Fellow, a program that brings Juilliard students extensively trained as artist-educators into public school classrooms on a weekly basis throughout the school year. In addition to private teaching experience, McGann taught as part of Juilliard’s Instrumental Music Program, has been on faculty at Brooklyn College Preparatory, coached chamber music as a graduate assistant at SUNY-Purchase, received her Suzuki pedagogy training through all books at New York City’s School for Strings, and has served as Artist in Residence at Ohio University School of Music.
McGann is currently adjunct assistant professor at Vanderbilt University Blair School of Music. In addition to chamber music and recital engagements, she is Concertmaster of the Nashville Opera Orchestra. McGann was the violist of the Blair String Quartet from 2020-2023.
Venue: Turner Hall, Vanderbilt University Blair School of Music
Address: 2400 Blakemore Ave., Nashville, TN 37212
Parking: Free parking is available at the Vanderbilt West Parking Garage on Childrens Way, directly across from Blair School of Music. Due to construction on 25th Ave. South, enter the West Garage on 24th Ave. South.
About Christina McGann:
Christina McGann has been a featured performer at the Kennedy Center, the Tel Aviv Performing Arts Center, New York City’s Merkin Hall, Symphony Space, and Bargemusic, and at various venues throughout the U.S., Korea, El Salvador, and Europe. She has also performed concertos with orchestras including the National Symphony Orchestra, the Richardson Symphony, Musica Bella Orchestra in New York, the Moldovan Chamber Orchestra, the National Chamber Orchestra in Washington D.C., Ohio University New Music Ensemble, and the St. Petersburg Academic Symphony in Russia.
McGann has been awarded prizes at the Johansen International Competition, the National Symphony Young Soloist Competition, the Lennox Competition, the Ackerman Chamber Music Competition with Trio Artica, Chamber Music Yellow Springs with the iO Quartet, and the Fischoff Chamber Music Competition.
She holds both B.Mus. and M.Mus. degrees in violin performance from The Juilliard School, where she was accepted with Presidential Distinction. Her foundational teachers include Ronald Copes, Victor Danchenko, Robert Mann, and Donald Weilerstein. She also completed her doctoral degree at SUNY Stony Brook under the guidance of Soovin Kim, Philip Setzer, and Hagai Shaham.
Also, an avid educator, McGann began her teaching career in New York as a Juilliard Morse Fellow, a program that brings Juilliard students extensively trained as artist-educators into public school classrooms on a weekly basis throughout the school year. In addition to private teaching experience, McGann taught as part of Juilliard’s Instrumental Music Program, has been on faculty at Brooklyn College Preparatory, coached chamber music as a graduate assistant at SUNY-Purchase, received her Suzuki pedagogy training through all books at New York City’s School for Strings, and has served as Artist in Residence at Ohio University School of Music.
McGann is currently adjunct assistant professor at Vanderbilt University Blair School of Music. In addition to chamber music and recital engagements, she is Concertmaster of the Nashville Opera Orchestra. McGann was the violist of the Blair String Quartet from 2020-2023.