Community Calendar

The University of West Florida Dr. Grier Williams School of Music will present The Tu Masters Piano Duo, performing “AS ONE: Celebrating Great Piano Duos of the Past” on Thursday, Sept. 17, 2026. The concert will be held in the Rolfs Music Hall at the Center for Fine and Performing Arts on the UWF Pensacola campus.

In this vivacious and engaging program, duo-pianists Richard Masters and Hsiang Tu celebrate five great piano duos of the past: Guy Maier and Lee Pattison, Harold Bauer and Ossip Gabrilowitsch, Myra Hess and Irene Scharrer, Beryl Rubinstein and Arthur Loesser, and Abram Chasins and Constance Keene. These unusual selections do not appear on most modern programs yet represent a significant contribution to the duo repertoire.

Richard Masters is a pianist and opera coach/conductor based in Blacksburg, Virginia, where he is associate professor of piano and collaborative piano at Virginia Tech's School of Performing Arts. He has collaborated with Grammy-winning baritone Donnie Ray Albert and flutist Valerie Coleman, and he has performed under the baton of the late Lorin Maazel. Recent performances include the appearances at the English Music Festival in Oxfordshire, American Cathedral in Paris and Nixon Library in California. Chicago Tribune critic Howard Reich named his Albany Records disc of American art songs as one of the “best classical recordings of 2020.” A Yamaha Artist, Masters holds degrees from Eastman, Juilliard and the University of Colorado.

Hsiang Tu has been an assistant professor of piano at the University of Florida since 2022. During that time, he has released two albums, including a recording of the complete works for solo piano by Maurice Ravel in January 2026. Last fall alone, he performed and gave masterclasses in Croatia, Peru, Taiwan and the United Kingdom. Born and raised in Taipei, Tu moved to the United States as a teenager and earned a BM degree from the University of Calgary and MM and DMA from The Juilliard School. He enjoys building Lego sets and playing video games in his spare time.

This event is free and open to the public, but tickets are required. For tickets or more information, visit https://uwf.edu/cfpa or call the CFPA box office at 850.857.6285.

In this vivacious and engaging program, duo-pianists Richard Masters and Hsiang Tu celebrate five great piano duos of the past: Guy Maier and Lee Pattison, Harold Bauer and Ossip Gabrilowitsch, Myra Hess and Irene Scharrer, Beryl Rubinstein and Arthur Loesser, and Abram Chasins and Constance Keene. These unusual selections do not appear on most modern programs yet represent a significant contribution to the duo repertoire.

With a tone described as “rich” and “resonant” and performances noted for vocal strength, nuance, musicality, and convincing dramatic portrayals, mezzo-soprano Kimberly Gratland James enjoys an active performance career in symphonic and operatic venues. Recent and upcoming concert performances include a chamber music concert at the Getty Museum in Los Angeles, Handel’s Judas Maccabeus with the Master Chorale of Flagstaff, Mahler’s Symphony No. 2, Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen, songs with chamber orchestra by Ethyl Smyth with the Great Falls Symphony, and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with the Classical Music Festival in Austria. She also recently made her Dallas Symphony début as Wellgunde in Das Rheingold and Götterdämmerung.

Join the UWF Jazz Ensemble under the direction of Dr. Joseph T. Spaniola for an informal evening of vocal and instrumental jazz at the University of West Florida. The group will present works by Shorty Rogers, Paul Baker, Peggy Lee, Antonio Carlos Jobim, John Ellis and more. The concert is being presented in the Great Hall of the UWF Common in building 22, an informal gathering space.

The Runge Strings Orchestra was created in 2001. The Orchestra consists of undergraduate music majors and minors. The orchestra bears the name of the passionate and generous string music supporter, the late Mr. Paul Runge. The orchestra’s repertoire includes music from the Baroque and Classical eras to the compositions of the 21st century. The ensemble typically presents four concerts per year as well as accompanying various other groups both on and off campus.

The first concert of the semester marks the 21st season opener for the UWF Chamber Music Concert Series at the beautiful, historic Old Christ Church. Under the direction of Dr. Hedi Salanki, members of the UWF Chamber Music Class will perform a variety of chamber music repertoire, featuring a wide range of instruments and ensembles. The audience will hear chamber music pieces written for piano, strings, flute, clarinet, harpsichord, cello, and castanet. The selections include arias, vocal duets, and musical-theater favorites. Music of Bach, Purcell, Handel, Mozart, Chopin, Lalo, Ravel, Schubert, and others will make the first concert of the season exciting and special.

The University of West Florida Singers was founded in 1967 at the newly established University of West Florida. With frequent collaborative performances with the Pensacola Symphony Orchestra, the Pensacola Choral Society, and the Pensacola Children's Chorus, the UWF Singers have continued to be an example of choral excellence in the Northwest Florida region.

The University of West Florida Symphonic Band is committed to performing the finest wind band and chamber wind ensemble repertoire—both traditional and contemporary. The Symphonic Band is composed of talented musicians from all majors on campus and is dedicated to providing an opportunity for musical growth.