Presenting District: Salem
Presenter: Dr. Stephen Lewis[expand title=”Read Presenter Bio” swaptitle=” “]Dr. Stephen Lewis, PhD, DMA, is a Portland-based composer, pianist, conductor, and teacher whose compositions inhabit the terrain between sound as physical sensation and sound as signifier of culture. Stephen’s opera, Noon at Dusk, was hailed as “delectable,” with a “constantly shifting sonic world [that] proved fascinating and effective.” Recent and upcoming performance engagements include concerts with the Oregon Symphony, the Agnieszka Laska Dancers, the Astoria Music Festival, and Fear No Music’s Young Composers Project as well as a live broadcast on All-Classical Radio. He has performed throughout the United States and in Italy. Stephen holds a PhD in composition and a DMA in piano from UC-San Diego, and a BMus from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music. Stephen teaches piano, composition, music theory, and conducting privately at his home and from St. Stephen’s Episcopal Parish, where he serves as music director and organist. Stephen enjoys baking bread, reading, wine tasting, and hiking with his wife. See more at his websites: www.stephenlewiscomposer.com (artistic) and www.chopinois.com (teaching).[/expand]

Program Description: Everyone longs to learn music so well[expand title=”Read More” swaptitle=”]that we can perform with ease, grace, and command of ourselves and the instrument. It often feels like a mysterious, alchemical process to arrive there: how do we go from learning and struggling to real mastery? The answer lies in large part in the four senses we use when performing: hearing, sight, touch, and proprioception. All four of these senses must be engaged for stellar performances, but we often do not know how to make the best use of them or how to teach our students to do so.

In this talk, Dr. Lewis will speak about how we must lead first and foremost with our hearing; how our eyes can be powerful allies or can make our practice and performance suffer; how touch and proprioception reinforce an intuitive and resilient connection between the musician and the instrument. He will talk about specific teaching and practice strategies to optimize how we use our senses. Recent neuroscience research on how our brain processes sensory input and turns it into motor action and creative thought will be explorer. Ultimately, this will help us better reach the place where we can feel empowered to perform creatively, boldly, and expressively.[/expand]