Kathryn Woodard

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Kathryn Woodard
Kathryn Woodard at Ostia (Italy), July 2018
Born1969
Dallas, Texas
EducationUniversity of Music and Performing Arts, Munich; University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music
Occupation(s)Musician, Educator
Websitekathrynwoodard.com

Kathryn Woodard (born 1969) is an American pianist, scholar, composer, and educator born in Dallas, Texas. She is recognized as an interpreter of music by composers from Turkey and East Asia.[1][2][3][4] Her work as an educator has addressed issues surrounding musicians' health, specifically prevention and relief from injuries and an awareness of the complexity of musicians' movement.[5][6][7]

Career[edit]

After initial studies in Dallas with Betty Thomas and noted new music pianist, Jo Boatright, Woodard moved to Munich, Germany where she continued studies with Yasuko Matsuda and later with Gitti Pirner at the University of Music and Performing Arts (Hochschule für Musik) in Munich. She pursued graduate studies at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music with Frank Weinstock and began a focus on piano music by composers outside of the Western tradition. At the same time she began to learn the Alexander Technique to overcome physical limitations in her playing, studying primarily with Barbara Conable.[5]

As a pianist Woodard has collaborated with numerous composers and choreographers, including Paula Matthusen,[8] Allen Otte, Huang Ruo, Christopher Caines, Carolyn Lord, Bryan Hayes and Beth Soll.[9][10] In 2001 Woodard served as a consultant for Turkish music with the Silk Road Project to help identify composers for the Silk Road Ensemble to commission. From 2000 to 2004 she was adjunct assistant professor at Hunter College, and in 2004 she accepted a position at Texas A&M University in its fledgling music program. From 2010 to 2012 she worked as repititeur and ensemble pianist for Opera Vista and performed several premieres, including The Silent Prince by Somtow Sucharitkul.[11] Woodard has also written several piano pieces for a variety of levels, works for small chamber ensemble and for wind ensemble.[12]

Woodard's scholarly research has focused on timbral experiments in piano music and on the works of Turkish composers such as Ahmed Adnan Saygun (1907-1991).[13][14] More recent presentations have focused on the perception of rhythm and the process of learning rhythms.[15][16] In addition to recordings on the New Albion and Albany record labels, she has released two recordings on her own label Sonic Crossroads.[4] This entity is now an educational initiative promoting global piano music to students around the world through publications, classes and assessments. A series of digital publications launched in 2015 has brought the piano music of Turkish composers to a broader audience.[17]

Discography[edit]

Compositions[edit]

  • As Dusk Falls and Hop, Skip and a Jump Two studies for piano (2024)
  • Four Scenes Intermediate piano solos (2024)
  • Whirlwinds Etude for piano (2023)
  • Five to Seven Toccata for piano (2023)
  • Impromptus Three pieces for piano (2022)
  • The Calm Before... Two pieces for viola and piano (2019)
  • Budapest 1919 - Three songs for high voice, clarinet, viola and piano (2016/2019)
  • Creepy Suite Six pieces for piano (2019)
  • Ancient Omens Three pieces for piano (2018); also arranged for wind ensemble (2023)
  • Royal Portraits Four pieces for piano (2014)
  • Glimmer - Chamber work for oboe, clarinet, cello and percussion (2010)
  • Lyric Suite - A set of improvisations for prepared piano (2008)

References[edit]

  1. ^ Brookes, Stephen (October 3, 2008). "Kathryn Woodard". The Washington Post.
  2. ^ Chism, Olin (April 5, 2004). "Pianist Kathryn Woodard Crafts Exotic Program at the Crow Collection". Dallas Morning News.
  3. ^ Smith, Steve (September 16, 2007). "Youth and Beauty, and Wails, Whispers and Growls". The New York Times.
  4. ^ a b Bedetti, Andrea (November 2013). "Review of Journeys and Silhouettes CDs". CD Classico (Italy).
  5. ^ a b Woodard, Kathryn (2009). "Recovering Disembodied Spirits: Teaching Movement to Musicians". British Journal of Music Education. 26 (2): 153–172. doi:10.1017/S0265051709008419.
  6. ^ Woodard, Kathryn (June 2018). "Understanding and Accessing the Body Map When Training Movement". Art in Motion 2018: Training for Creative Excellence. Symposium Program: 60–61.
  7. ^ "BMM24 Tagungsband". Österreichische Gesellschaft für Musik und Medizin (in German). Retrieved 2024-04-29.
  8. ^ Smith, Steve (2009-06-14). "Varied Sounds With a Whiff of Sulfur". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-02-22.
  9. ^ "Beth Soll: Earthly Dances in Troubled Times". Westbeth. 2022-03-29. Retrieved 2024-02-22.
  10. ^ "Beth Soll & Company: Four Dancers, One Choreographer and One Musician". Westbeth. Retrieved 2024-02-22.
  11. ^ "SILENT PRINCE". S.P. Somtow • Somtow Sucharitkul. 2016-02-16. Retrieved 2024-01-23.
  12. ^ "Music by Kathryn Woodard - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 2024-02-22.
  13. ^ "Interview: Kathryn Woodard Discusses the Music of Ahmed Adnan Saygun". Fanfare Magazine. 33 (6). 2010.
  14. ^ Woodard, Kathryn (2007). "Music Mediating Politics in Turkey: The Case of Ahmed Adnan Saygun". Comparative Studies of South Asia, Africa and the Middle East. 27 (3): 552–562. doi:10.1215/1089201x-2007-032. S2CID 143740608.
  15. ^ Woodard, Kathryn. "Traversing the 'Devil's Staircase': Perception and Notation of Folk Rhythms in Piano Music from the Balkans (and Beyond)," presented at the IMS Regional Meeting for the Balkans, Bucharest, Romania, September 2–6, 2019.
  16. ^ Woodard, Kathryn (2021). "Syncopation, Cross-Rhythm and Aksak Meter: A Workshop in Pedagogical Approaches". Art in Motion Symposium: RHYTHM!.
  17. ^ "Anthology of Turkish Piano Music, Volume I - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 2024-02-22.
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