NATCHITOCHES – Saxophonist Paul Forsyth and pianist Chialing Hsieh will present a recital “Premiere: New Works for Saxophone and Piano” on Friday, September 24 at 6 p.m. in Magale Recital Hall. Admission is free and open to the public. Those attending are asked to follow university regulations and to wear a mask at all times in the building.
The program will include “Brazilian Landscapes No. 21” by Liduoino Pitombeira, “From the Skyline” by Mischa Zupko, “from other futures” by John Anthony Lennon, “Ruckblick” by Ursula Mamlok and “Vocalise” by Maurice Ravel and arranged by Larry Teal.
Equally adept at both the classical and jazz repertoire, Forsyth has performed and taught at numerous concert halls, universities and conferences around the world. Forsyth has been featured as a soloist and chamber musician at North American Saxophone Alliance Conferences, World Saxophone Congresses, John Donald Robb Composer Symposiums and International Saxophone Symposiums. He has been instrumental in commissioning numerous new works for solo saxophone, saxophone quartet and saxophone/oboe duo. As a chamber musician, Paul Forsyth is a member of two renowned ensembles, the Three Reeds Duo and the Iridium Quartet. Each ensemble has multiple recordings, the most recent albums being “Metamorphosis” and “Skylines.” As a top-call saxophonist in northern Louisiana, he has performed with such performers as Regis Philbin, Lew Soloff, the Temptations and Bobby Vinton. From 2017-2019, Paul Forsyth was named the North American Saxophone Alliance Competition Committee Chairman.
Forsyth joined the faculty of Northwestern State in the fall of 2007 and currently serves as professor of saxophone. In the past, he has been on the faculties of Albion College, Spring Arbor University and Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp. He received his doctoral and master’s degrees in saxophone performance from Michigan State University and his bachelor’s degree in music education from the University of Tennessee. His primary professors include Joseph Lulloff, Diego Rivera, Ron Blake,and Mark Tucker. Forsyth is a Yamaha Performing Artist.
Hailed as a “brilliant pianist” (Fanfare), Hsieh has performed recitals in Europe, Asia and throughout the United States and has been a featured pianist on seven CD’s for the Centaur, Enharmonic and Ballpark record labels. Hsieh is an assistant professor of collaborative piano at Northwestern State and has given masterclasses throughout the United States and abroad and served as a judge and adjudicator for competitions and events.
A sought-after collaborative pianist, Hsieh has performed with members of the New York Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Lyric Opera Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, National Symphony Orchestra of Taiwan, and the symphony orchestras of Detroit, Cleveland, St. Louis, Minnesota, and Memphis. She has performed with the faculty of Julliard, Northwestern University, New England Conservatory, the University of Cincinnati and Arizona State University.
