Have you ever seen and touched a harpsichord in real life, or observed the mechanics of a grand piano action, outside the instrument? This unique concert features curated works spanning over four centuries, tracing the evolution of these important keyboard instruments. Enjoy some great music, lively historical commentary, and come up onstage afterward to view these instruments up close and personally!
Harpsichordist Jennifer Lohmann is an active freelance performer and teacher in the Chippewa Valley community, having taught piano classes at UW Stout for several years and currently manages the music program at Morgan Music in Eau Claire. With degrees in both history (B.A. from Marshall University) and music (B.M. in Collaborative Piano from UW Eau Claire), these two fields converged into a keen interest in early music, and Jennifer has specialized education and experience playing both harpsichord and fortepiano. Notable harpsichord performances include Handel’s Messiah with the UW Eau Claire University Orchestra and with the Eau Claire Chamber Orchestra (ECCO), she was the featured soloist for a performance of J.S. Bach’s Harpsichord Concerto in F minor with the UW Eau Claire Chamber Orchestra, and she regularly performs in recitals at UW Eau Claire on harpsichord. She frequently participates in early music conferences and festivals, and has received grants and awards for research on early music and historical performance practice.
Pianist Owen Lovell has appeared as a soloist and critically acclaimed chamber musician in twenty U.S. states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, Canada, Mexico, Switzerland, and the Netherlands. Commercial releases include tracks with rock musician Kip Winger (2008, Frontiers Records) and ASCAP award–winning composer Randall Bauer (2016, Albany Records). Owen has performed in live broadcasts on Wisconsin Public Radio and Austin, Texas NPR affiliate, KUT–FM. He has worked with many prizewinning composers, most notably Lowell Liebermann, Michael Torke, Samuel Adler, Joan Tower, Dan Welcher, Eric Ewazen, David Maslanka, Denis Smalley, and Roberto Sierra. Owen maintains professional two–piano and violin and piano collaborations, delighting audiences in settings ranging from rural community churches to the Kennedy Center.
Dr. Lovell earned his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in piano performance from the Peabody Conservatory of the Johns Hopkins University, and holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Texas at Austin. His principal instructors included Boris Slutsky, Dr. Betty Mallard, Gregory Allen, and Julian Martin. Owen is an MTNA Nationally Certified Teacher of Music, serving actively on the executive board of its state and local affiliates, and is frequently in demand as a clinician and adjudicator throughout the United States.
Appointed in the fall of 2016, Dr. Lovell is an Associate Professor of Music and coordinates the keyboard area and Bobcat Keys after school program at Georgia College, the state’s designated public liberal arts university. Additionally, he is a piano technician and the piano review editor for Larry Fine’s Acoustic and Digital Piano Buyer (www.pianobuyer.com and printed semiannually), the standard consumer reference for piano shoppers. He previously served on the keyboard faculties of the University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire, the University of Texas - San Antonio, and Texas State University. Visit his YouTube channel for more information and links to recordings.