The Indelible Willard Straight

Willard Straight was invited to Anchorage in 1964 to teach at a new music school. The project failed, but Straight, a composer and pianist with a growing international career, opted to stay. For four wonderful years, he directed musicals, taught composition, and composed new works.

AFM’s season finale honors Straight’s lasting Alaskan legacy with music he composed in Anchorage, including Structure for Piano commissioned for the 1966 Van Cliburn Competition. Timothy Smith tackles this virtuosic wonder described as “a charming game of ‘which hand can get to the other end of the keyboard first.’” Also featured is an abridged version of Straight’s comedic off-Broadway musical The Athenian Touch, filled with bold and eclectic songs. You’ll leave humming clever gems like “Lysistrata” and “No Garlic Tonight!”

Join us for a pre-concert talk one hour before each performance. Discover how Willard Straight’s incredible career was the product of determination, courage, and pure moxie.

FEATURING:

Timothy Smith, piano

UAA Opera Ensemble directed by Mari Hahn

A host of Alaska’s finest musicians