NATCHITOCHES — Pianist Todd Van Kekerix will present a recital at Northwestern State University on Saturday, Feb. 15 at 2 p.m. in Magale Recital Hall. The concert is part of the Louisiana Piano Series International. Tickets are $15. Northwestern, BPCC@NSU and Louisiana School for Math, Science and the Arts students are admitted free with a current student I.D. A livestream will be available at capa.nsula.edu/livestream. NSU Assistant Professor of Piano Dr. John Price and Associate Professor of Piano Dr. Francis Yang are co-directors of the of the Louisiana Piano Series International.
The concert is part of NSU Piano Day which begins at 10 a.m. in Magale Recital Hall. The event is for students aged 12-18. Registration is $20. Piano Day includes a pop music session, a mini masterclass with Northwestern piano faculty and the recital. Lunch and snacks will be provided. For more information, go to nsula.edu/musicacademy and click on NSU Piano Day.
Van Kekerix will play Ravel’s “Gaspard de la Nuit” and Fazil Say’s “Ismir Suite, Op. 79.”
As an assistant professor of piano and piano pedagogy and coordinator of class piano at the University of Houston, Van Kekerix has over 20 years of top-tier teaching experience. His passion for educating future generations of pianists shines through in every course he leads. Before joining UH, Van Kekerix spent nine impactful years in teacher training at The New School for Music Study in Princeton, New Jersey, where he crafted his dual roles as a performer and an educator.
An acclaimed performer, Van Kekerix has performed for audiences at some of the world’s most prestigious venues, including Carnegie Hall in New York and the Esterházy Palace in Austria. His connection to music goes beyond the stage. He also gives back to his community, hosting biennial fundraisers for Hegg Memorial Health Center and raising more than $10,000 per recital for his hometown hospital.
Van Kekerix’s influence continues to grow internationally. He frequently presents and hosts workshops at high-profile conferences like the International Conference of the Association of Music and Medicine, the National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy and the MTNA National Conference. He has also shared his expertise through recitals and workshops at renowned institutions such as the Zhejiang Conservatory of Music and Shaoxing University in China and the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada. Currently, he serves as the Collegiate Chapter chair for the Texas Music Teachers Association (TMTA).
