Elizabeth Morgan Piano Concert

Piano Works by American Women Composers

In this recital co-sponsored by the Department of Music and American Studies Program, pianist Dr. Elizabeth Morgan will perform works by American women composers from the nineteenth century to today. Between pieces she will discuss the composers’ lives and aesthetics and timely considerations related to gender and classical music programming. Composers featured on this program include Latina, Black, Asian American, and Native American women, and feature many living composers and one newly commissioned work.

Praised by the Baltimore Sun for her “achingly sweet touch at the keyboard,” American pianist Dr. Elizabeth Morgan has performed throughout the United States and abroad. Highlights include solo performances in Alice Tully Hall, Merkin Hall, Society Hall, the Kociuszko Foundation (New York), the New York Library for the Performing Arts, Herbst Theatre (San Francisco), and the Clark Library (Los Angeles). She has been invited to give lectures and recitals at various American universities, including Vassar College, Cincinnati-College Conservatory of Music, Lawrence University, the University of Nevada, Penn State, Franklin and Marshall, Saint Anselm College, the University of Richmond, West Chester University, Fordham University, the University of Delaware, and the University of California, Santa Cruz. Elizabeth has appeared as soloist with orchestras on both coasts; most recently she was soloist in Carnival of the Animals with the Seattle Symphony (2019) and the Beethoven Triple Concerto with the Pennsylvania Chamber Orchestra (2022). She has performed with the Mark Morris and Rosie Herrera dance companies and at festivals including Tanglewood, Amelia Island, Festival of the Hamptons, and Pianofest. She is best known for her conversational recital of keyboard works related to Jane Austen, which she has performed at venues around Great Britain and the United States. She frequently gives pre-concert talks for the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society.

Dr. Morgan studied at the Juilliard School (B.M. and M.M.) where her principal teachers were Robert McDonald and Yoheved Kaplinsky. She then obtained a Ph.D. in musicology from UCLA, as well as a D.M.A. in piano performance, working with musicologist and MacArthur fellow Susan McClary and pianist Walter Ponce. She currently serves as Associate Professor of Music at Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia.

This concert is offered as part of the Department of Music Free Concert Series 2023-2024 Season. The Department of Music produces over 25 concerts annually featuring a broad range of styles and genres. Enjoy student recitals, faculty ensemble performances, and concerts created in collaboration with visiting artists. All concerts are FREE and seating is general admission. Registration is required, and all will be welcomed as space allows.