The Kansas State University wind, string, and piano faculty will present a concert at the Birger Sandzen Memorial Gallery in Lindsborg at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 11. The group will be performing works by Beethoven, Brahms, Libby Larsen, and Astor Piazzolla. The musicians are Amanda Arrington, piano; Tod Kerstetter, clarinet; David Littrell, cello; and Anna Marie Wytko, saxophone.
Amanda Arrington serves as faculty collaborative pianist at the Kansas State University School of Music, Theatre, and Dance. She maintains an active performing career collaborating with faculty artists, guest artists, and students in over 70 concerts each year. Amanda has performed concerts and premieres nationally and internationally. As a piano soloist, she has enjoyed performances with K-State’s Orchestra, Wind Ensemble, and the Wabash City Brass. Amanda holds degrees in music education from Kansas State University and piano pedagogy from the University of Central Missouri.
Dr. Tod Kerstetter is professor of music at K-State and serves as clarinetist with the university’s resident Konza Wind Quintet. A member of the International Clarinet Association since 1984, Kerstetter has performed internationally. In 2008, he was a featured recitalist at the University of Oklahoma Clarinet Symposium. A highly experienced orchestral musician, he has performed on B-flat, E-flat and bass clarinets, as well as saxophone with several professional ensembles. Kerstetter also appears frequently as a jazz artist on both clarinet and saxophone.
An advocate of new music for clarinet, Kerstetter has also been involved in many recent commissioned projects. He also co-authored a clarinet pedagogy textbook and holds degrees from Furman University, Indiana University, and the University of Georgia.
Dr. David Littrell is a university distinguished professor of music. He conducts the Kansas State University Orchestra and teaches cello, double bass, and viola da gamba. As a reflection of his interest in the music education of young people, he is the director of String Fling, an annual event at K-State that attracts 650 string students from Kansas. He also founded the youth Gold Orchestra in 1989, which performed at Carnegie Hall in 2001 and 2006. Dr. Littrell was the national president of the American String Teachers Association from 2002-2004. The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching named him the 2007 Kansas Professor of the Year. He performed a cello solo with the K-State Wind Ensemble in Carnegie Hall this past April.
Dr. Anna Marie Wytko is associate professor of music and teaches saxophone and chamber music. A Yamaha Performing Artist-Clinician, Dr. Wytko has performed throughout the United States, Europe, Canada, and Mexico. Her newest CD, Anna Marie Wytko, was released in May 2016 and features significant solo and chamber music by American, French, and Czechoslovakian composers, along with four world-premiere recordings. She has also written instructional books for saxophone, is the founding member of the chamber ensemble Ascendo3, and saxophonist with the Joseph Wytko Saxophone Quartet.
The Sandzén Gallery is located at 401 North First Street in Lindsborg. Please note that the concert begins at 2 p.m., as do many subsequent concerts in this year’s Chamber Music Series. There is no charge for admission, however, donations are appreciated. For further information, call the Gallery at 785-227-2220 or email fineart@sandzen.org.