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By Coralee Thompson
Oracle Piano Society
At my first rehearsal with Tucson Masterworks Chorale last year, their talented accompanist, Russell Ronnebaum blew me away with his finesse on the piano. Not only is Russell an accomplished collaborative pianist, but he has performed with the Tucson Symphony Orchestra and American Wind Symphony, composes original works, and made his Carnegie Hall debut in 2016.
I’m pleased to introduce his upcoming concert at the Oracle Center for the Arts on Dec. 7, 3 pm. This open community event is by free will donation as Mr. Ronnebaum requested with the intention of eliminating any financial barriers that would get in the way of sharing this inspiring music.
This concert, Winter Scenes will include all of the songs on his album so named. Musical pieces include timeless works such as O Holy Night, Carol of the Bells featuring four hands piano with Dr. Stephen Cook, Coventry Carol, The First Noel, and original compositions; Wintermezzo, Romance, and Final Suite.
A Kansas native, Russell Ronnebaum moved to Arizona after earning a Bachelor of Music degree in piano performance from the University of Kansas. Under the guidance of Dr. Paula Fan, he earned his Masters Degree in collaborative piano from the University of Arizona.
For the 2019-20 season, Russell was named the newly appointed Music Director and Composer in Residence of the Rogue Theatre in Tucson, AZ. He also serves as the assistant director of music at St. Mark the Evangelist Catholic Church in Oro Valley.
Russell has served as the staff accompanist for the Tucson Masterworks Chorale since 2015. For the spring 2017 Masterworks Chorale series, Mr. Ronnebaum performed as soloist for Beethoven’s 2nd Piano Concerto, Op. 19. Past performance and compositional engagements include Artifact Dance Project, The Rogue Theatre, and the University of Arizona. His music has been played on 90.5 FM Arizona Public Media, and 91.3 KXCI ‘Locals Only’ program. Recent composition commissions and premieres include music for voice, choir, piano, string orchestra, and live theatre. Recordings, videos, sheet music, and upcoming concert dates can be found at: www.RRonnebaum.com.
Please, welcome, Russell Ronnebaum to Oracle on Dec. 7, 3 p.m. at Oracle Center for the Arts, 700 E. Kingston St.
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