A Classical Evening at Soka University
Pianist Dan Franklin Smith
Hailing from New York City, Dan Franklin Smith presented a lively evening of Gershwin, Chopin and Andre Previn when he joined the Soka University Concert Band for a presentation at Soka University on Friday, March 5, 2010. The evening, which was a benefit for the university’s scholarship fund, was well attended by local residents, students and professors.
One of the pieces, Concerto for Piano and Band, was performed with the extremely talented and gifted SUA Concert Band, directed by Alfred Lang. This collaborative piece received a rousing round of applause.
The second half of the concert presented works by Frederick Chopin, one of my favourite composers, with mazurkas, very lively, and waltzes from the ballet “Les Sylphides.”
Graduating as a piano major from University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, Mr. Smith has played throughout the US and Europe. His European appearances include London recitals at St.-Martin-in-the-Fields, recitals and orchestral work in Sweden, Norway, France, Croatia, Ukraine, Belgium, Poland and Germany. This year he will be appearing at the Bruckner Festival in Linz, Austria, among many other venues.
He has been praised by German newspapers for “stirring emotionalism, precision with keen intensity, the subtle hesitations and shifts that constitute great expression.”
I must say I agree—the concert was thoroughly enjoyed by everyone.
—Anthony Houghton, Soka University of America
