by Kelly Dean | Apr 4, 2012 | News Slider
As a musician, playing in New York is a mindboggling dream many strive for. However, three young Lipscomb students fulfilled this dream when the Avalon Trio was named third best in the nation as a chamber ensemble on Mar. 24 in New York City. After the Avalon Trio’s performance of Mendelssohn’s Trio No. 2 in C minor and Paul Schoenfield’s “Café Music”, the group placed third at the Music Teacher National Association’s chamber competition at the 2012 national conference in New York City. “What speaks more than our ability as musicians, I think, is the ability that us three have together to just play music,” said cellist Kenneth Coca. “I don’t think we could have done it with another group or with other musicians.” The three-year-old trio consists of Joel Campbell on violin, Coca on cello and Julian Calvin on piano. The group is coached by Jerome Reed, Patricia and Rodes Hart Professor of Piano at Lipscomb University. Not only did the group walk away with the accomplishment of becoming one of the top three ensembles in the nation, but the process of getting there for the Avalon Trio continues to leave the group astonished and grateful. And the term ‘getting there’ is meant in a literal sense. Rodes Hart, benefactor for the Patricia and Rodes Hart Endowed Chair for Piano, sponsored the group’s trip to New York. The Avalon Trio never expected to travel to the big and beautiful NYC in high style, but Dr. Hart made sure to do just that by providing a private jet just for the trio to fly to New York City in....
by Aaron Schmelzer | Oct 4, 2010 | News Slider
NASHVILLE (Oct. 4, 2010)–Jerome Reed, professor of music at Lipscomb University, has been named recipient of a newly endowed faculty chair, the Patricia and Rodes Hart Chair in Piano, President L. Randolph Lowry announced. The Patricia and Rodes Hart Chair in Piano was made possible by a $1 million gift from Nashville businessman Rodes Hart. “I wanted to give this gift because I am so amazed by the skill and ability of Jerry Reed, who is my piano teacher. I wanted to do something significant for him and for the department. I didn’t really know very much about Lipscomb University until I met him. I wanted to do something to support piano teaching specifically because of what he has done for me,” said Hart. “We believe strongly that supporting music and the arts is important in a well-rounded cultural city like Nashville.” “This generous gift from the Harts, creating an endowed chair, provides many opportunities for Lipscomb’s music faculty and students. The Harts’ passion for music, in particular piano, is being magnificently translated into a legacy in music education. It is fitting that Professor Reed, whose skills are internationally recognized, be the first to fill this chair,” said Lowry. Reed and Hart developed a friendship last year when Reed assisted Hart in selecting a Steinway for his office. Reed began to give Hart piano lessons during the summer, which quickly sparked a close friendship. Today, Reed goes to Hart’s Brentwood office once a week to conduct a piano lesson. The two share a passion for the piano and the arts. Hart and his wife, Patricia, and Reed and his...
