POWELL, WYOMING – The Northwest Civic Orchestra will present its annual spring concert on Saturday, May 3, titled “The Music of Spain, ‘Schoessler’ and Schumann”. The concert begins at 7 p.m. in the Nelson Performing Arts Auditorium on the Northwest College campus, featuring the accomplished and popular pianist Tim Schoessler. Tickets, which are only being sold at the door, are $12 for general admission, and $8 for seniors (62 and up). Children and students are admitted free of charge.

Schoessler is an adjunct Instructor of Piano at Montana State University Billings and holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in keyboard performance from the University of Wyoming. He began studying piano at age 7 and organ at age 12 and was an active performer during his teenage years in Cody and Powell.

An active adjudicator in Wyoming and Montana, Schoessler maintains a small private studio of students in the Bighorn Basin. He currently lives in Billings with his wife Rachel and daughter Aria while also serving as organist and choir director at First Presbyterian Church in Cody where he has been since 2015.

The concert will open with Rimsky-Korsakoff’s “Capriccio Espagnole”, a five-movement work based on authentic Spanish melodies. Originally conceived as a work for solo violin and orchestra, it expanded to feature a variety of instruments in brilliant solos. Rimsky-Korsakoff wished to portray Spanish scenery and life and weaves the opening “Albarada” (‘dawn’ or ‘daybreak’) through-out the piece.

Schoessler takes the stage next to perform Camille Saint-Saens’ “Piano Concerto No. 2”. Saint-Saens was an exceptional individual and prolific musician who began composing by age 3 and by age 10 could perform any of Beethoven’s Piano Sonatas from memory. Schoessler performed the first movement of this concerto 25 years ago as a Young Artist Competition winner.

Schumann’s Symphony No. 3 (“Rhenish”) was composed in 1850 after German composer Robert Schumann and his wife Clara moved to Dusseldorf on the Rhine River following his acceptance of a position as municipal music director of a local orchestra and chorus. The composition, consisting of five movements, took Schumann just five weeks and is considered one of Schumann’s final triumphs.

The Northwest Civic Orchestra is a unique performing group at the college and a community orchestra. Musicians from other communities are also hired to help fill the ranks. It operates under the direction of Maurine Akin.