One of Alabama’s six Steinway Artists to perform at JSU Artists in Action – WBNews

Whether it helps express our celebrations, search our thoughts or express our sadness, music sets a mood that neither pen nor speech can quite attain. These qualities can be seen at the Foothills Piano Festival at Jacksonville State University, when Margery McDuffie Whatley performs a solo piano recital at Mason Hall on Friday at 7:30 p.m. The concert is free. Whatley, who lives in Mountain Brook, is a Steinway Artist, one of six in Alabama given this title. In order to be chosen as a Steinway Artist, pianists must have achieved recognition as concert performers and have a special love for Steinway pianos for performance. “I am honored to be part of such a roster of pianists that includes such legendary artists as Vladimir Horowitz and Martha Argerich,” Whatley said. She prefers to play Steinway pianos because of the instrument’s special craftsmanship. In Whatley’s opinion, Steinway is the name synonymous with the piano itself. Its story began in 1836 with Heinrich Steinweg of Germany, who was trained as a cabinetmaker but began to make pianos. After his emigration to the United States in 1850, his grand pianos won him recognition. Whatley joined the music faculty of Birmingham-Southern College in the fall of 2014. She serves on the executive board of the Alabama Music Teachers Association and is president of the Birmingham Metro Music Forum. Whatley studied at the University of Southern California, where she was named the most outstanding doctoral graduate. She received her bachelor’s of music degree from the…more detail