The Whatley Center for the Performing Arts at Northeast Texas Community College is pleased to announce that it will host a benefit piano concert by NTCC President Dr. Ron Clinton and violinist, Andre Daniel on Sunday, March 3rd at 2:30 p.m. Tickets are $20 for adults and $5 for students. All proceeds from the concert will directly benefit the NTCC Foundation.
“It is always a pleasure to experience a concert by our very talented college president,” Carolyn Franks, Director of the Whatley Center, said. “This year we are in for a special treat as Andre Daniel joins him on the violin.”
The concert will include the beautiful Beethoven’ “Spring” Sonata for Violin and Piano, a selection of solo piano pieces by Claude Debussy, as well popular Spanish works for violin and piano by Manuel de Falla.
Clinton joined the NTCC faculty when the college opened in 1985, teaching music, humanities, and philosophy before joining the administrative team. He was named President of NTCC in 2017. Prior to his time at NTCC, Clinton performed extensively throughout the United States, Asia and South America as a concert pianist, appearing as guest soloist and conductor with symphony orchestras in Houston, Austin, Lubbock, South America, and Asia. He received his Doctor’s Degree from the University of Texas at Austin in Piano Performance and has performed in master classes with such notable artists as Augustin Anievas, Claude Frank, Anton Kuerti, and Leon Fleisher.
In addition to his work at NTCC, Dr. Clinton has also served as “artist in residence” at Mokwon University in Taejon, South Korea and has been a faculty member at the Conservatory of Music at the University of Southern Chile in Valdivia, Chile where he taught piano, served as guest conductor of the Conservatory Orchestra Austral de Chile, and performed concerts throughout the country, including performances at the prestigious International Frutillar Music Festival in southern Chile. His solo and chamber music performances have been recorded and broadcast over PBS stations throughout the United States.
Andre Danie, violin, l is the son of Dr. Andrew Daniel, NTCC Division Chair for the Creative and Performing Arts. He is currently in his final semester of undergraduate under the guidance of Julia Bushkova at the University of North Texas College of Music. At UNT, he plays in the undergraduate string quartet program’s Avenue C String Quartet and performs with the UNT Symphony Orchestra, previously serving as concertmaster/principal second violin of the UNT Concert Orchestra. In addition to UNT ensembles, Andre is an alumnus of the Interlochen Arts Camp, National Youth Orchestra of the United States, the Castleman Quartet Program, and the 2023 Schleswig-Holstein Festival Orchestra, where he will return this summer. He has performed in masterclasses with the Carpe Diem String Quartet, the Aeolus Quartet, the Arianna String Quartet, Philip Setzer, and Midori. Andre has had the privilege to play under the baton of wonderful conductors including JoAnn Falletta, Cristian Macelaru, Mei-Ann Chen, Carl St. Clair, and Christoph Eschenbach. In Fall 2024, he hopes to continue studies in a master’s program and continue performing in chamber and orchestral settings.
Tickets can be purchased online at www.whatleycenter.com or by calling the Whatley Center Box Office at 903-434-8181.
