En Pleine Lumière (In Full Light)
Piano Music by Women of the 19th Century

Conversation with the artist at 7:00
Great Hall
Free parking and admission

Reception with the artist follows immediately

music of
Clara Schumann, Cécile Chaminade, Agathe Backer Grøndahl, 
Helen Hopekirk, Sofie Menter, Luise Adolpha Le Beau,
Mélanie Bonis, Germaine Tailleferre, Lili Boulanger,
Rosy Wertheim, Amy Beach, Marion Bauer and Marguerite Canal

made possible with special funding from
Swiss Avenue Historic District, Dallas, Texas

An upcoming project of Copenhagen-based pianist Sandra Mogensen is to perform and record the piano works of 19th-century women composers. Starting with concerts in southern Ontario, the project will culminate in a recording session at the Immanuelskirche in Wuppertal this coming June.

She writes:
I barely remember how the idea came to me to do a recording of piano music by women of the 19th century. It has been full-on researching and practicing ever since, and I am smitten by each and every composer that comprises this program! The time has come for this music to be heard far and wide, and I aim to do my part to shine some light on these undeservedly overlooked gorgeous gems. That’s where the project’s title comes from: “en pleine lumière” (in full light).

The idea to do a recording has actually been steadily evolving, such that the scope of the project will turn into more of a life’s mission. The focus on solo piano repertoire will expand into song repertoire and chamber music involving the piano, beginning with the 19th century and progressing through to the present day. My vision is that through recordings, live performances, video projects and podcasts, I can help to bring these deserving artists to a wider audience. 

On Saturday, February 8 at 10:00 am, Ms. Mogensen will return to the Great Hall to conduct a master class with outstanding young artists from Texas Woman’s University, Texas Christian University, Southern Methodist University and the University of North Texas. Admission is free to the public. Donations are welcomed.

About the Artist:
Copenhagen-based pianist Sandra Mogensen is equally at home in two worlds: performing as a solo pianist and co-performing with singers in recital. She has played in concert in both capacities in Canada, the United States, Denmark, Latvia, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, the Netherlands, and Austria. Sandra is also well-known as a vocal coach and piano pedagogue.

Sandra’s first CD recording (2001) was of Schubert’s cycle of 24 songs, Winterreise, with Germany-based Canadian bass Paul Sketris. The two artists have been friends since childhood, when their first musical collaborations included playing piano duets, singing the Latvian folk songs of their common heritage, and playing in the same high school jazz band. The Winterreise recording was produced by Anton Kwiatkowski and was recorded at the Glenn Gould Studio in Toronto.

Sandra returned to the Glenn Gould Studio to record her first solo album in December 2006 for a 2007 release in conjunction with the Edvard Grieg centenary. SANDRA MOGENSEN: Piano Music of Edvard Grieg, produced by Earl McCluskie, was warmly received and praised. A second disc of Grieg’s piano music (SANDRA MOGENSEN: Piano Music of Edvard Grieg Volume 2) followed in 2009, and SANDRA MOGENSEN: Piano Music of Edvard Grieg Volume 3, again produced by Earl McCluskie, was released in 2012. A fourth disc of Grieg’s 12 Songs, Op.33 with American soprano, Laura Loge, and 19 Norwegian Folk Tunes, Op.66, was released in 2017.

Sandra Mogensen did her early musical studies with her mother, Edite Mogensen, in Sarnia, Ontario. Sandra’s further training as a pianist has taken her to study with Damjana Bratuz at the University of Western Ontario, the Orff-Instiut Abteilung of the Mozarteum in Salzburg, the Royal Danish Conservatory of Music in Copenhagen where she studied with Friedrich Gürtler, and to Westminster Choir College in Princeton, New Jersey, where she received the Master’s of Music in Vocal Coaching and Accompanying, studying with J.J. Penna and Dalton Baldwin.

Sandra Mogensen was a founding member of Canada’s National Piano Trio. A versatile musician, Sandra has extensive experience with chamber music, musical theater and choral repertoire, as well as music in liturgy. Well-versed in English, French, German, Italian, Danish and Latvian, Ms. Mogensen is well known for her language and diction coaching. Ms. Mogensen has had an extensive teaching career and enjoys mentoring musicians in their processes of self-discovery and artistic development.

Sandra is drawn to the music of recent and living composers, as well as jazz and the art of improvisation. As a curator of musical experiences, Sandra seeks to reinvent and reinvigorate the recital format and heighten the listener’s experience of connection, relevance and meaning. Exploring the use of visual elements and improvisation, reorganizing the typical recital structure and reexamining conventional recital practices form the basis of her evolving work.

Read more about the artist here.

Event flyer here.