Returning to Presbyterian College’s campus on Oct. 26 is the Japanese pianist, Jun Matsuo. She will perform her recital “Musical Portraits” at part of the PC music department’s Broad Street Series in Edmunds Hall at 7:30 p.m.

Matsuo once worked as an assistant professor of music at PC, and at Coker College. She earned a doctorate of musical arts in piano pedagogy from the University of South Carolina. She also holds degrees from Binghamton University and the State University of New York, Plattsburgh, where she currently serves as an adjunct lecturer teaching seminars at the Honors Center.

In 2012, Matsuo was named a Steinway artist, the fifth to be named in South Carolina. In her short statement on the Steinway and Sons website, she explains the relationship between the pianist and the piano as similar to the one between people. “It’s a two-way street,” she said. “I am inspired to explore and strive for each other’s highest potential.”

Matsuo has performed in concerts all over the U.S., Europe and Asia, both as a solo artist and as a part of a collaboration, working with artists of other genres such as literature and visual arts, to create innovative artistic programs.

“Musical Portraits” combines the cross-genre nature of Matsuo’s collaborative efforts with her interest in exploring the potentials of piano musical composition by performing works inspired by real-life people or fictional characters. This recital features the works of Ludwig van Beethoven, Robert Schumann, Claude Debussy and Virgil Thomson.

For more information, contact Beverly Davis at bdavis@presby.edu or by phone at 864.833.8470.

Written by Allison Cooke, a junior English major, media studies, journalism track minor from Winnsboro, S.C.