The 2024 WSMTA Conference at Gonzaga University in Spokane will feature Pianist and Composer Connor Chee, sessions with more than twenty-five presenters, honors recitals, student composer recital, a variety of concerts, “Lesson with the Artist” (or masterclass), as well as opportunities to reconnect with your colleagues from across the state.
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RECITALS AND CONCERTS
At the WSMTA Conference, you can hear wonderful music almost all day, every day. There will be five student Honors Recitals (four piano recitals and one featuring vocal and other instrumental students). You can hear exciting music by young composers at the Young Composers Project recital. There is also the Washington Winners and Commissioned Composer of the Year Concert, where you can hear the 2024 CCOY composition and performances by students across Washington State who have competed at competitions at the state and division levels. Conference Guest Artist Conner Chee will present a concert on the evening of Friday, June 28 and the Chamber Music Concert on Saturday evening will feature the Sapphire Trio and Tango Volcado, both with WSMTA’s Jody Graves.
All happening at Gonzaga University in Spokane between June 27-29, 2024. Don’t miss any of it! Registration opens February 15, 2024.
2024 CONFERENCE GUEST ARTIST
Connor Chee, pianist and composer
Navajo pianist and composer Connor Chee (b. 1987) is known for combining his classical piano training with his Native American heritage. Chee made his Carnegie Hall debut at the age of 12 after winning a gold medal in the World Piano Competition. A graduate of the Eastman School of Music and the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music, Chee’s solo piano music is inspired by traditional Navajo chants and songs.
Chee has released 5 studio albums of original pieces and piano transcriptions of Navajo music. The Navajo Piano won Best Instrumental Recording at the 16th Annual Native American Music Awards, and his piece “Beginnings” won Best New Age Song. The Navajo Piano (Revisited), features new recordings of his original 15 compositions from 2014, as well as recordings of the traditional songs they were based on. Chee’s 2020 release, Scenes from Dinétah, features piano pieces written about elements of Navajo life and culture. It was accompanied by the release of several music videos filmed on the reservation, directed by Navajo filmmaker Michael Etcitty Jr. Chee’s most recent release, Across the Desert: The Long Walk Home, stands as a musical tribute to the Navajo people’s journey through adversity and the triumphant return to their cherished ancestral lands.
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