originally published: 03/25/2019



(PRINCETON, NJ) -- The Westminster Choir College Faculty Recital Series will continue with a performance by The Hobart Trio on Saturday, March 30 at 8:00pm in Bristol Chapel on the campus of Westminster Choir College of Rider University in Princeton. The ensemble will perform Astor Piazzolla’s The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires and Beethoven’s Piano Trio in D Major, Op. 70, no. 1 “Ghost.” They will also perform the premiere of two works for piano trio by Westminster Choir College professor Thomas Parente: Morph on a Jewish Folk Song Dona Dona and Variations on a Traditional Icelandic Folk Song.

Parente says about his compositions, “Both are transcriptions of a larger work for piano four hands titled 'The Seasons'. This work is composed of morphs (or compositional transformations) of international folk songs related to the weather that occurs in that specific country for that specific month. Hence, there are 12 pieces - one for every month of the year. As an example, the colder months of December, January, and February draw upon the folk music of Russia, Iceland and Finland respectively, while Dona Dona, a much loved Jewish folk song by Sholom Secunda, relates to Israel, which represents June. On the Road to Sprengisandur is a popular Icelandic folksong."

The Hobart Trio, composed of violinist Dr. Kathleen Butler-Hopkins, cellist Joseph Kimura and pianist Dr. Iris Perry, is a chamber ensemble in residence at William Paterson University. Founded in 2015, the trio regularly appears on academic and community concert series. They have performed with orchestras throughout Europe, and the United States, including Alaska’s Arctic Chamber Orchestra and the Opera Orchestra of New York at Carnegie Hall. They have also performed on National Public Radio.

Pianist Dr. Iris Perry, a former piano student of Westminster Choir College Professor Ingrid Clarfield, has served on the faculty at Westminster Choir College and currently serves on the faculties at Bergen Community College and William Paterson University. Cellist Joseph Kimura is a member of the faculties of Five Towns College and William Paterson University and also teaches at Summer String-in at Monmouth College and the Junior Division of Greenwood Music Camp. Violinist Dr. Butler-Hopkins was awarded the rank of Professor Emerita of Violin, Viola, and Chamber Music from the University of Alaska Fairbanks and is currently on the faculty at William Paterson University and the Lake Placid Institute Chamber Music Seminar.

Dr. Thomas J. Parente is an associate professor of piano at Westminster Choir College and composer in residence for the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Montclair, N.J. His compositional output is varied and includes works for singers, solo piano, piano four hands, choir, strings, piano trios and reed organ. Holding a doctorate from Teachers College-Columbia in music education, he is the author of The Positive Pianist: How Flow Can Bring Passion to Practice and Performance; The Evolving Class Pianist, How to Teach Group Piano Successfully through Flow and several method books for piano. He has given book presentations — most notably for the Royal Conservatory of Music in Madrid, Spain, and The New England Conservatory, among several other institutions of higher learning. Next month he will lead a presentation for the piano department of Universidad Catolica, Buenos Aires, Argentina.

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Learn more about this performance at www.rider.edu/arts.