MOBILE, Ala. – Dr. Robin Williams, an acclaimed pianist, will teach a masterclass Feb. 17 and perform alongside University of Mobile’s Steinway Artist Dr. Kadisha Onalbayeva on Feb. 18, as part of the Alabama School of the Arts Piano Festival Series.
The masterclass is titled “A Rite of Passage: Developing Relaxed, Coordinated Performances in the Intermediate Pianist Time.” Williams will teach UM students, and guests are invited to observe.
Admission to the masterclass and recital is free. However, due to COVID-19 guidelines, in-person seating is limited to 31 people for both events. Both events will be streamed on Zoom. To reserve your tickets or for streaming information, please contact Onalbayeva at 251.442.2383 or konalbayeva@umobile.edu.
Dr. Robin Williams
The masterclass will be held Feb. 17 at 2 p.m. in Moorer Auditorium, located in Martin Hall on the UM campus. The recital begins on Feb. 18 at 7 p.m. in Moorer Auditorium.
In accordance with Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines, State of Alabama and University of Mobile mandates, face masks or face shields will be required at the masterclass and recital. For more information on COVID-19 guidelines, visit umobile.edu/coronavirus.
Williams is president of the Northshore Music Teachers Association and former chair of the Department of Music at the University of New Orleans. She earned her Bachelor of Music in piano performance at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, and both master’s and doctoral degrees in piano performance at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York.
She will perform works from Stravinsky, Dvorak, Milhaud, Liszt, Onalbayeva and Coleman at the recital.
About the University of Mobile
The University of Mobile is a Christ-centered liberal arts and sciences institution with a vision of higher education for a higher purpose, founded to honor God by equipping students for their future professions through rigorous academic preparation and spiritual transformation. Core values are: Christ-Centered, Academically-Focused, Student-Devoted and Distinctively-Driven. The university offers on-campus and online bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in over 75 academic programs. Founded in 1961, the University of Mobile is affiliated with the Alabama Baptist State Convention and is located 10 miles north of Mobile, Alabama on a campus of over 880 acres.
For more information about the University of Mobile, visit the website at www.umobile.edu or call Enrollment Services at 1.800.WIN.RAMS or 251.442.2222.
Ashlyn Nichols is a senior at the University of Mobile majoring in communications and minoring in French. She is an intern with UM’s Office of Marketing and Public Relations, and she works as the communications coordinator at Redemption Church in Saraland, Alabama. She was the 2018 Distinguished Young Woman in Missouri and competed in the national finals in Mobile, where she first visited the University of Mobile. Ashlyn is a UM Ambassador and on the UM tennis team. She enjoys hiking the trails on campus, playing the violin, and spending time at the beach.