Themes celebrate Billy Joel, America 250, nocturnal favorites

Three Music Conservatory of Coeur d’Alene piano performances will take place in April.

First in the series, “Crossing Paths - The Songs of Billy Joel and the Artists that Inspired Them” will be held April 11 at the Music Conservatory of Coeur d'Alene. This program will be a musical journey hosted by conservatory faculty member Dan Schnatter, who goes by the stage name Carson Rhodes.

In this show, Rhodes and sax player Chris Moyer will perform songs from Joel’s favorite artists like Ray Charles, the Beatles, Gordon Lightfoot and Frankie Valli. They will then perform the Joel hits that these songs influenced. Rhodes will share his insights and experiences on how some of these great compositions came into existence and recount direct conversations he had with Joel and his original band members.

Rhodes has performed on stage with popular entertainers like Willie Nelson, the Stray Cats, Richie Blackmoore and renowned violinist Wai Mitzutani. Living in the Long Island land of Joel, it was inevitable that their paths would cross. Rhodes performed many times at the same venues as the piano legend including CBGB, Club Nirvana, Sparks, My Fathers Place and the Bitter End. He has also been a featured act at many universities.

Rhodes and Joel's original band eventually recorded a studio series including Liberty Devito on drums, Doug Stegmeyer on bass and Richie Cannata on sax. These recordings are on his album “To the Stars” on iTunes as Carson Rhodes. He has also appeared live on the "Joe Franklyn Show" for an audience of millions. He has produced and arranged recordings for other performers. Recently Rhodes brought his tribute show, “A Night of Joel,” to the historic Bing Crosby Theater in Spokane. Rhodes has also performed at dueling piano venues across North America. Visit “Carson Rhodes Entertainment” on Facebook for details.

Second in the series of piano concerts will be “250 Express: An American Piano Journey," planned for April 16 at the Midge and Pepper Smock Family Theatre at the Kroc Center. This performance by pianists Matt Goodrich and Melody Puller will invite guests to celebrate America’s soundtrack in honor of the United States Semiquincentennial.

The duo will present a showcase of piano masterworks by American composers. The program will explore American history through music, presented by Practicing Musician, in partnership with the National Endowment for the Humanities on America 250 Programming.

A native of Syracuse, N.Y., Goodrich is a graduate of Oberlin College Conservatory. He earned his Doctoral of Musical Arts from the University of Washington. He was a national finalist in the Young Artists division of the Music Teachers National Association and Young Keyboard Artist Association competitions, and has appeared as a soloist with orchestras including the Syracuse Symphony, University of Washington Symphony, Victoria Festival Orchestra, Willamette Valley Symphony and North Idaho Philharmonia.

An active chamber music and theatrical performer, Goodrich has enjoyed long associations with acclaimed performing ensembles including Pacific Northwest Ballet, Northwest Boychoir, Fifth Avenue Theatre, Lucia Neare’s Theatrical Wonders, Expanse Ensemble and Harrington-Goodrich Piano Duo.

He has performed in more than 100 musical theater productions, including five pre-Broadway premieres. Formerly on the piano faculties of Oregon State and Southern Oregon universities, Goodrich lives in Sandpoint where he serves as director of performance at the Music Conservatory of Sandpoint.

Puller studied piano at the University of Idaho, where she earned bachelor and master of music degrees in piano pedagogy and performance.

While working on her graduate degree, Puller affiliated with the Moscow Alumnae Chapter of Sigma Alpha Iota International Music fraternity and was featured as a soloist on several of spring musicales. Upon completion of her U of I degrees, Puller moved to Burlington, Vt., where she lived for 13 years, continuing her musical studies. In 2015 she returned to the Inland Northwest to be near family. She began her tenure teaching piano at the Music Conservatory of Sandpoint and currently serves as chair of the piano department. Puller has been a frequent guest performer on the Piano Bench Program of Spokane Public Radio.

The third concert in the series is titled “Nocturnes” and will be held April 18 at the music conservatory. It will feature New York pianist Peggy Reich. Drawing from her latest album "Nocturno Celestial," Reich will offer an evening of nocturnes that reveal their meaning through subtle color, expressive phrasing and the emotional turns hidden within each passage. This concert will take place at the conservatory. Reich will be a guest on "Piano Bench" with Jim Tevenan on KPBX Spokane Public Radio 91.1 FM at 11 a.m. April 14.

Reich, of Scarsdale, N.Y., began studying music, composition and conducting at a very young age.

She studied piano under Baruch Arnon from the Juilliard School of Music, then continued her musical training to receive a Bachelor of Music in piano performance from the Jacobs School of Music in Bloomington, Ind. Reich has performed as a soloist, in trios, one piano four-hand and two piano four-hand duets. She has won several national and international piano competitions, which brought her to many places on the East coast, including Carnegie Hall, as well as the West Coast, the Midwest and South, Costa Rica, and Puerto Rico. Peggy has composed piano solos and duets with other instrumentation as well as orchestral pieces. She has conducted Masterclasses across the country for students of all ages covering the repertoire of the Renaissance to the present day 21st century classical genre. She has taught piano and composition for over 42 years.

Each concert will begin at 7 p.m.

Visit cdaconservatory.org/events for tickets, prices vary.

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