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SHERMAN, TEXAS - The Austin College Department of Music will host a concert by American classical pianist Scott Watkins at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, October 3, in Wynne Chapel. The event is free and open to the public.
Watkins’ program at Austin College will offer the artist a warm up as he will perform the same selections at Carnegie Hall the following week. The program includes a Beta Bartok sonata, a Howard Hanson Sonata, and the Claude Debussy Preludes Book II.
Austin College Music Department Chair Daniel Dominick said the concert will be a great one, “ending with a terrific piece called “Fireworks.” Dominick explained that the very exciting piece is a representation of a night sky with fireworks buzzing and exploding.
Watkins earned a degree in piano performance at The University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music, where he held the Van Cliburn Scholarship and studied with Bela Siki. Watkins also was a student of the late Canadian pianist Raymond Dudley at The University of South Carolina, where he earned a Master of Music degree. He holds a Doctor of Music degree in piano performance from The Florida State University, where he studied with the late Edward Kilenyi.
Honored early for his work, Watkins won the prestigious Artistic Ambassador Award (1985) and the Patricia D’Angelus Award at the Memphis Beethoven International Piano Competition (1999). Since those early days, his career has taken him to many of the world's concert stages, and he has enjoyed collaborations with some of the finest orchestras and noted soloists. His performances have garnered rave reviews around the world.
Watkins is currently associate professor of piano at Jacksonville University, and since 2011, has held the position of Visiting Foreign Scholar at Beifang University’s Conservatory of Music and Dance in Yin Chuan, China, where he performs, teaches, and lectures during the spring.
Austin College, a private national liberal arts college located north of Dallas in Sherman, Texas, has earned a reputation for excellence in academic preparation, international study, pre-professional foundations, leadership development, committed faculty, and hands-on, adventurous learning opportunities. One of 40 schools profiled in Loren Pope’s influential book Colleges That Change Lives, Austin College boasts a welcoming community that embraces diversity and individuality, with more than 36 percent of students representing ethnic minorities. A residential student body of 1,250 students and a faculty of more than 100 allow a 12:1 student-faculty ratio and personalized attention. The College is related by covenant to the Presbyterian Church (USA) and cultivates an inclusive atmosphere that supports students’ faith journeys regardless of religious tradition. Founded in 1849, the College is the oldest institution of higher education in Texas operating under original name and charter.
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