Three artists to perform on one stage at Corning Opera House
Three pianists perform fresh, original, inspiring and encouraging original compositions at the Corning Opera House Cultural Center on August 22. Laughter, storytelling, and uplifting music await you! All three artists, Joseph Akins, Cathy Oakes, and Donovan Johnson, are nationally recognized and featured on Pandora Radio!
Based in greater Nashville, Dr. Joseph Akins (pronounced “Ache-inns”) is a pianist/composer and associate professor at Middle Tennessee State University. As a professor at MTSU, Joseph teaches courses in MIDI, musicianship and new media. Joseph holds advanced degrees in jazz piano and electronic music from the University of Tennessee and Radford University, and earned a doctorate in education from Tennessee State University in 2006.
He has released four solo albums, including A Piano Christmas (2011), nominated as Best Holiday Album of the Year at SoloPiano.com, and Spirit Touch (2009), included in the Top 40 Solo Piano Albums of the Decade, 2000 – 2009, at MainlyPiano.com. He has performed with many jazz, rock and country bands as a pianist and multi-keyboardist. Joseph also serves as the music director for Unity Of Murfreesboro TN.
Cathy Oakes began piano lessons at the age of six, but quickly got bored. Her parents sold the piano when her mother found her lying on the piano stool trying to play with her toes! In spite of the early set back, she found her love for music through marching band and high school choir and then began to seriously study piano. She enrolled in the music program of West Virginia Wesleyan College, a small private college in the beautiful mountains of West Virginia. There she studied piano, voice, music theory and history and choral conducting. She holds a bachelors degree in music with an applied major in piano. After two years of trying to decide whether to major in piano or voice, she finally chose piano. Her professor said that she didn’t really choose, she simply “decided to sing on the piano.” Until October 2011, Cathy had only composed one short vocal piece. After attending concerts at the home of Philip Wesley and listening to artists such as Philip, Joseph Akins, Joe Bongiorno and others, Cathy was inspired to begin composing. She studied for several months with Joseph Akins, who was an invaluable influence in her efforts. Her debut CD, “Like a Song,” was released in June 2012 and was followed in October by "Let There Be Joy," a Christmas album.
Cathy has found her music voice and continues to compose and is inspired by nature and many other solo piano artists. In August 2012, she was added to Whisperings Solo Piano Radio's roster of artists.
Donovan Johnson's first original piano disk, "Pieces Of Life," was recorded in 2008 as a collaboration of songs that Donovan had written throughout the years and leading up to a "fork in the road." The following year he released an album of Holiday originals and favorites in "Winter Solstice: Celebrate The Season!" His next two albums, "Road To Home" and October," are both featured on Pandora radio and have received a great deal of critical acclaim.
His 2014 release, "Infinite Beauty," is already showing much promise. Donovan has studied music all his life. He's been a student, a teacher, a music director, a church musician, and a fill in for bands and jazz combos. He transcribes sheet music, reviews CD's, operates an online radio station, and travels all over the United States with his renowned piano stool. As he'll tell you, "I like to bring a piece of home with me when I'm on the road." At home Donovan plays a refurbished 1893 Steinway upright piano with removable panels. On the road, he's performed at the Steinway Piano Galleries of Birmingham AL, Nashville TN, Knoxville TN, and Roseville CA.
He's performed at national historic sites such as the James J. Hill House in St. Paul MN, and making a return trip to the Corning Opera House in Corning IA. He's performed for audiences on Oxford Street in London England and in the town of Macclesfield, also in the UK. Donovan has opened for and performed with many popular names in the original solo piano genre, including David Nevue, Matthew Mayer, Cathy Oakes, Louis Colaiannia, and the list goes on and on.
The three talented musicians will be performing at 7 p.m. on Friday evening, Aug. 22. Adult tickets are $14 and K-12 students are $8. Tickets may be purchased online at www.CorningOperaHouse.com, at the State Bank of Brooks, or at the door. For more information about the historic opera house follow us on Facebook, call 641.418.8037 or email corning.oh@gmail.com. We are putting the unity, back into our community.