Award Winning Composer To Perform Original ‘Colonnades’

DANBURY — The Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Danbury will host Douglas Buchanan, a graduate of and doctoral student at the Peabody Conservatory, for a performance of his original work for piano Colonnades at 4 pm on Sunday, November 8. Paired with poetry by Mr Buchanan, Colonnades is a virtuosic, concert-length work for piano solo that confronts questions of faith, memory, individuality and the function of art in society.

Chosen for the prestigious Presser Award through the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore, Md., Mr Buchanan is touring the country performing Colonnades for a diverse array of audiences. A piece written in 32 movements, Colonnades examines the interplay between humans and nature, using themes of faith, memory, individuality and the function of art in society as illustrations of this interplay.

The movements in Colonnades are draped over a framework that evokes an image of traveling through a series of colonnades, or interconnected columns. This structure resonates with that of Bach’s Goldberg Variations, or more presently with Vanishing Pavilions by Mr Buchanan’s own teacher at Peabody, Michael Hersch.

The November 8 performance will be in the Fellowship Hall of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Danbury, 24 Clapboard Ridge Road.

Admission is $10, and a wine and cheese reception will follow the performance.

Tickets can be purchased in advance by calling 798-1994.