Join violinist Melinda Rice and pianist Gareth Haynes for a program of chamber music highlighting primarily American composers writing in the early 1900s, including Florence Price, John Alden Carpenter, and William Grant Still.

• Florence Price -  an African American classical composer, pianist, organist, and music teacher.
• William Grant Still Jr. -  an African American composer of nearly 200 works for symphonies, ballets, operas and more.
• John Alden Carpenter -  an American composer whose works encompassed The Home Road and other jazz inspired works.

Gareth Haynes is thrilled to be collaborating with Melinda Rice on this program. When he’s not playing recitals, he is music director at Daylesford Abbey in Paoli, where he plays piano and organ and conducts a volunteer choir. He also serves as studio accompanist for violin students of Ms. Leah Kim, conducts the Pennsylvania Youth Orchestra’s Youth Strings division, and freelances as an accompanist. Recent highlights include accompanying student soloists at Carnegie Hall and serving as music director for the Marian Anderson Historical Society from 2019-2021.

Melinda Rice is happy to present this program with Gareth Haynes at the Phoenixville Library. Melinda returned to PA in 2020 and is glad to make music on the east coast, inspired by the environment here. She is motivated by collaboration, and has recently joined in projects with pianist and singer Amy K. Bormet, with the Marian Anderson Historical Society, with poet Heather Bowlan, with singer Jacqui Burkholder, with Paul Hiraga of Downpilot, and with composer Teri Card Heller. She has been teaching violin and viola for over 20 years, most recently at Community Music School in Trappe, PA. She worked with students in the El Sistema-inspired YOLA and Harmony Project programs in California since 2008, and conducted the elementary school string orchestra of the Pasadena Youth Symphony Orchestra from 2017-2021. She has released two recordings of original works.