EUGENE,
Ore. -- (April 28, 2009) - Keeping with an annual tradition, two faculty
pianists from the University of Oregon will perform at a piano store in
Portland on Thursday, May 7, as part of the First Thursday Art Walk.

The 7
p.m. event will take place at Sherman Clay-Moe's Pianos 131 NW 13th Ave.,
Portland. Admission is free and Sherman Clay will provide intermission refreshments.

Brad
Foley, dean of the UO School of Music and Dance, said this performance is an
opportunity to allow Portland-area music lovers to sample the range and depth
of quality of the University of Oregon's performing faculty.

"Many
members of our faculty are experienced international performers and bring a
level of professional expertise to their teaching that is unmatched in the
state," said Foley. "Showcasing some of our outstanding piano faculty is a
perfect fit for our friends at Sherman Clay."

Mitch
Paola, manager of Sherman Clay, is the key facilitator of the concert, as
Sherman Clay frequently hosts free concerts at Portland's First Thursday Art
Walks. The UO music faculty presented similar programs at Sherman Clay in 2006,
2007 and 2008.

The
program will feature two UO faculty pianists, Dean Kramer and Claire Wachter,
both of whom have been on the music faculty for more than 20 years. Their
program will include music for two pianos: Mozart's "Sonata in D
Major," Bernstein's Symphonic Dances from "West Side Story," and Debussy's
"Fetes." Also on the program are Rachmaninoff's "Suite No.2," Paul Desmond's
"Take Five," Dave Brubeck's "Blue Rondo," plus William Bolcom's "Graceful Ghost
Rag," and "Serpent's Kiss" for solo piano and drums. Joining the pianists on
selected numbers are percussionist Dennis Senff and a guest saxophonist.

The
university recently partnered with Sherman Clay to acquire two Concert D grand
pianos from Steinway's factory in Hamburg, Germany. The new pianos complement the
UO's new music building additions, which opened in January 2009.

Artist Bios:

Claire Wachter is associate professor of piano and piano pedagogy, and chairs
the University of Oregon piano department. She holds degrees from the Peabody
Conservatory of Music in Maryland and the University of Texas at Austin.
Wachter has appeared in solo and concerto concerts across the United States.
She has appeared internationally in concerts in Austria, Italy, Japan, Taiwan,
and Canada, and has been a recitalist with the Oregon Bach Festival, the Utah
Festival, the Russian River Festival (CA), and the Rome Festival (Italy).

Dean Kramer is associate professor of piano, and has been at the University
of Oregon since 1983. He holds degrees from Oberlin Conservatory and the
University of Texas at Austin. Kramer has performed as concerto soloist,
recitalist, and chamber musician in the United States and internationally.
Kramer has appeared as soloist with orchestras in Warsaw (Poland), Bucharest
(Romania), Cairo (Egypt), Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Miami, Portland, and Boise.

About
the University of Oregon

The
University of Oregon is a world-class teaching and research institution and
Oregon's flagship public university. The UO is a member of the Association of
American Universities (AAU), an organization made up of the 62 leading public and private research institutions
in the United States and Canada. The University of Oregon is one of only two
AAU members in the Pacific Northwest.

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