College of the Ozarks to Host Piano Duo Recital featuring pianists Joseph Kingma and Clara Christian

POINT LOOKOUT, MO. — College of the Ozarks will host a duo recital featuring award-winning pianists Dr. Joseph Kingma and Dr. Clara Chrisitan, associate professor of music at C of O, on Tuesday, Oct. 29, at 7:30 p.m. in the Newman Recital Hall in the Gittinger Building at College of the Ozarks.

The recital will feature The Rachmaninoff Suite No. 2 as well as pieces by Johann Christian Bach and Johannes Brahms.

Program

Sonata in G Major for Two Pianos, Op. 15, no.5 by Johann Christian Bach (1735-1782)

I.Allegro

II.Tempo di Minuetto

Variations on a Theme by Haydn for Two Pianos, Op. 56b by Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)

Intermission

Suite No. 2 for Two Pianos, Op. 17, by Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873-1943)

1. Introduction
2. Waltz
3. Romance
4. Tarantella

“Brahms’ piece is a variation on a theme by Classical composer, Franz Joseph Haydn,” Christian said. “Brahms is a composer from the Romantic era who was able to take the very classical theme by Haydn and create a rich tapestry of sound with a wider range of harmony and thicker textures that only a Romantic composer could create. The great composer Sergei Rachmaninoff was also one of the greatest pianists of the 20^th century. I want guests to experience the incredibly rich and beautiful compositional style of these composers and the amazing way that the two pianos interact with each other.”

Declared by the New York Concert Review to be a “…a rare gift…” and praised for “…showing the command of a master and composer’s insight,” award-winning pianist Joseph Kingma enjoys a multi-faceted career as a soloist, clinician, adjudicator, and teacher. Kingma taught at Louisiana College from 2016-2018 and held the position of keyboard division coordinator and assistant professor of piano at Palm Beach Atlantic University in West Palm Beach, Florida, from 2018-2023. He currently teaches in-person and online out of his independent private studio, located in Tulsa, Oklahoma. His students have won competitions and have gone on to successful careers in music. He has been a Nationally Certified Teacher of Music since 2019.

About Dr. Clara Christian

Pianist Dr. Clara Christian is associate professor of music and director of the piano program at College of the Ozarks in Point Lookout, Missouri. In addition to teaching applied piano, she teaches music history, piano pedagogy, piano literature, chamber music, and class piano. Before coming to College of the Ozarks, she was on the faculty at University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and Northwestern University's Music Academy (Evanston, Illinois). Dr. Christian has given solo recitals throughout North America as well as performed in St. Petersburg, Russia and Strasbourg, France. She has performed in venues such as the Chicago Cultural Center, the “Jaani Kirik” Recital Series (St. Petersburg, Russia), and the Fourth Presbyterian “Fridays at Noon” Concert Series (Chicago, Illinois). She also served as rehearsal accompanist for the Chicago Master Singers from 2011-2014 and performs frequently as a collaborative artist. She is the pianist for “Fuse Trio,” which has performed nationally and internationally since forming in 2014.

About College of the Ozarks

College of the Ozarks is a private, Christian, liberal arts college, located in Point Lookout, Missouri, on a 1,000-acre campus. Christian values, hard work, and fiscal responsibility comprise the fundamental building blocks of the “Hard Work U.” experience. The College earns numerous accolades yearly, including No. 2 Best Performers on Social Mobility-Regional Colleges in the Midwest and No. 4 Best Regional College in the Midwest by U.S. News & World Report for 2024-2025 and No. 3 Best Bang for the Buck by Washington Monthly, 2024. To achieve its vision, the College pursues academic, vocational, Christian, patriotic, and cultural goals. These goals are mirrored in School of the Ozarks, a laboratory school that completes the K-college model.

The Keeter Center — the College’s award-winning lodge, restaurant, and conference facility — earns awards consistently, including the TripAdvisor Best of the Best Award 2024 and the Readers’ Choice Awards 2023 from ConventionSouth magazine. The Keeter Center features historic lodging, fine dining, and meeting rooms. With more than 350 student workers, it is the largest workstation on campus.