This March our community celebrates the centenary of the legendary Seattle-based composer, pianist,
teacher, publisher, Guggenheim Fellow, and sometime steam calliopist, Lockrem Johnson (1924-1977)
with a recital featuring Keith Eisenbrey, piano, Susan Payne O’Brien, soprano, and Peter Nelson-King,
trumpet.
For those too young to remember, Lockrem’s presence in the local scene from the 1940s to the 70s cannot be overstated. He taught at both the University of Washington and Cornish, where he instituted the baccalaureate degree program, and was a pianist for the Seattle Symphony under Manuel Rosenthal. He penned what may be the first opera composed in Seattle – A Letter to Emily (1950) – which has been staged nearly 100 times in the United States and Europe, including a performance in Paris in early March of this year. Further information on Lockrem and his legacy, including scores and historical recordings, can be found here.
The recital will feature the world premiere of his Last Two Songs (1973) and the first performance of the
complete cycle of 24 Preludes (1967). Also on the program are his lively Sonatina for Trumpet and Piano (1950), Chaconne (1948), 2 Songs to a Child (1948), and the devestating Fifth Sonata (1953) which Keith will perform from the score given to him by Lockrem himself just a few months before his untimely passing.