He completed his doctorate at the University of Illinois, where he subsequently joined the faculty, and in 1969 moved to Cornell University, where he is now the Frederick J. Whiton Professor of Music and director of the 18th-Century Historical Keyboard Performance Practice program. Shortly after joining Cornell, he met Philip Belt, who makes reproductions of antique instruments. It was Belt who introduced him to the fortepiano. The modern piano develops the tone slowly and is ideal for long, gradually unfolding lines but poor for phrases containing frequent changes in stress. A preconcert dinner will be held at the Whittemore House and will feature an introduction to the fortepiano and the music of Brahms and Schubert by Hugh Macdonald, Ph.D., the Avis Blewett Professor of Music and chair of the music department.
Reservations are limited.