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Halloween may be past, but it’s not too late to take in a good 19th-century ghost story! Franz Schubert’s song Erlkönig, composed in 1815 on a poem by Johann von Göthe, is a tour-de-force of compositional inventiveness. The evil Erlkönig – i.e., King of the Elves – lurks in the woods and stalks children who linger in the woods for too long. Jon Grier’s one-hour presentation will demonstrate how Schubert makes Göthe’s dramatic ballad even spookier with his musical setting, subtly shifting mood with every phrase and turning it into a brief-but-gripping 4-minute opera.
Music reading ability for this event is a plus, but NOT necessary.
About Dr. Jon Jeffrey Grier:
Jon Jeffrey Grier holds a B.A. from Kalamazoo College, an M.M. in Composition from Western Michigan University, and an M.M. in Theory and a D.M.A. in Composition from the University of South Carolina, where he studied with Dick Goodwin, Sam Douglas, and Jerry Curry. He was Instructor of Music Theory, History, and Composer in Residence at the Greenville Fine Arts Center, a magnet high school of the arts, from 1988 to 2019, where he was voted Teacher of the Year three times. He has composed commissions for the Greenville Symphony, the Kandinksy Trio, Virginia Tech pianist Rick Masters, and the Michigan Music teachers Association, among others. In retirement from teaching, Jon continues avidly composing chamber music, songs, and jazz. Jon has played in various jazz and fusion ensembles in Greenville, where he lives with wife Marion and street rescue dog Roxanne.