Duo Piano Recital: Clarke’s Sharon Jensen & Emmaus’ Elisa Cooper

The Clarke University Music Department will present Sharon Jensen and guest pianist Elisa Cooper in a recital of music for duo-pianos on Sunday, October 28, at 2:00 p.m. in Jansen Music Hall. The recital is free and open to the public.

The duo will perform selections from Bach’s Passion According to St. Matthew, Schumann’s Andante and Variations, Copland’s Danzon Cubano, Saint-Saens’ Variations on a Theme of Beethoven, and a medley of Disney Waltzes arranged by Greg Roe of the Anderson-Roe Piano Duo.

“It is a pleasure to explore the repertoire for two pianos with Elisa. We’ve been performing together for almost 15 years, usually performing duets on one piano for four hands. However, there is a considerable amount of music for two pianos and because we can utilize the pianos in Jansen Hall, we always find wonderful music that deserves to be heard in concert,” said Jensen.

Jensen holds music degrees from Calvin College, University of Texas, and University of Michigan. As the recipient of a Rotary Fellowship, she studied at the Hochschule für Musik in Vienna, Austria, where she received the Artist’s Diploma. She has performed recitals individually and with orchestras throughout the Midwest, including the Quad Cities Mozart Festival orchestra. In March 2010, Jensen made her debut at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall and performed there for four consecutive years with flautist Peg Cornils Luke. Jensen is currently Assistant Professor of Music at Clarke University where she teaches piano, music history, and keyboard skills.

Cooper received her B.M. in Piano Performance from Wheaton College and her M.M. in Piano Performance from Indiana University. Cooper has performed twice at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall and has appeared as soloist with the Wheaton College Symphony Orchestra. In 2011, she served as pianist and assistant conductor for the Canadian Children’s Opera Company during their European Tour to Austria and Italy. Currently, she is Chair of the Music Department at Emmaus Bible College where she directs the Emmaus Chamber Choir and Ensemble, and teaches piano, music theory/aural skills, and music history.