The Department of Music at Gustavus Adolphus College presents flutist John Samuel Roper accompanied by pianist Hollie Shaver, in a faculty recital, Friday, February 23, 2007. The performance begins at 7:30 p.m. in Jussi Björling Recital Hall on the Gustavus campus.
Mr. Roper opens the recital with Andante Pastoral et Scherzettino by Paul Taffanel, followed by Shulamit Ran’s East Wind for Solo Flute and Variations on a German Air, Op. 22 by Theobald Boehm. After a brief intermission, the performance continues with the Mozart’s Andante in C, KV 315 and concludes with First Sonata for Flute and Piano by Bohuslav Martinu.
Gustavus flute instructor John Samuel Roper holds performance degrees from Georgia State University and the University of Minnesota. His playing and innovation in flute teaching have already started to win him acclaim in the flute world. He was the winner of the Atlanta Flute Club’s Young Artist Competition in 2005 and was invited to perform in recital at the organization’s 2006 convention. He has also had the privilege of performing in recital with the flutists of the Atlanta Symphony. Currently, John Samuel performs is a substitute flutist with the Fargo Moorhead Symphony and with the Charleston Symphony Orchestra in South Carolina. He has thrice been invited to perform in the master classes of world renowned flutist and pedagogue Keith Underwood. His work through the Georgia State University Sound Learning Program to enrich musically educational outreach programs has been presented at conferences both nationally and abroad. His most influential teachers include Keith Underwood, Immanuel Davis, Christina Smith, and Paul Brittan.
Pianist Hollie Shaver is constantly in demand as both a collaborator and piano instructor. Ms. Shaver’s talents have taken her to the Aspen Music Festival and have won her awards for excellence on the keyboard. She has earned both bachelor and master of music degrees in piano performance at Georgia State University as a student of Dr. Cary Lewis. This marks her seventh year accompanying Mr. Roper, and together they have performed a wide range of challenging repertoire for flute and piano throughout the United States.
This February 23 recital by John Samuel Roper is free and open to the public. A reception for the performers follows the performance in the recital hall lobby.