All aboard the Polar Express! Piano duo Sara Doan and Evan Mitchell take you on a magical musical journey to the North Pole to visit Santa’s home, where you can re-discover the wonder and spirit of the holidays. This is their take on Chris Van Allsburg’s beloved holiday classic, The Polar Express.

Featuring:

Free to attend; no tickets required.

PROGRAM

TCHAIKOVSKY/NEEMAN “Waltz of the Flower” from The Nutcracker

DEBUSSY “Footsteps in the Snow”

SAINT-SAËNS “Aquarium” from Carnival of the Animals

BARBER “Two-Step” from Souvenirs, op. 28

RAVEL “Rigaudon” from Le Tombeau de Couperin

LISZT “Psallite, Old Christmas Song” from Christmas Tree

LISZT “Scherzoso: Lighting the Candles on the Tree” from Christmas Tree

TCHAIKOVSKY/NEEMAN “March” from The Nutcracker

FAURÉ “Le pas espagnol” from Dolly Suite, op. 56

BARBER “Gallop” from Souvenirs, op. 28

RACHMANINOV Prelude in B-flat Major, op. 23, no. 2

GROBAN Believe

ANDERSON Sleigh Ride

ABOUT SARA DOAN

Born in Fort Worth, Texas, Sara Doan began studying piano at the age of 3 with Donna Edwards. Under her tutelage, Sara won top prizes in several state and regional competitions, before going on to the University of North Texas, where she earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in piano performance. She has appeared with the Meadows (Dallas) and the North Texas (Denton) Symphony Orchestras, and presented recitals across Texas, Oklahoma, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Washington, D.C. In December 2010, Sara served as guest artist in the First International Piano Festival of Bogota, Colombia where she performed, taught master classes, led discussions, and served on the competition jury. She has served as collaborative pianist-in-residence at Southeastern Oklahoma State and adjunct professor of piano at the University of North Texas. She maintains a large private studio in the DFW area and is an adjunct professor at Tarrant County College—Northwest Campus, while performing regularly with her chamber groups, Trio 8831 and Apana Trio. She also presents lectures and educational programs through the Cliburn, Fort Worth Music Fund, and Chamber Music Society of Fort Worth.

ABOUT EVAN MITCHELL

Pianist Evan Mitchell’s recent highlights include solo performances on the prestigious Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concerts series (Chicago), at Merkin Concert Hall (NYC), and at several major venues in Shanghai, as well as concerto performances with the symphony orchestras of Dallas and Fort Worth. He has made repeat appearances on the Cliburn at the Modern and Mount Vernon Music series, among others. Since June 2014, Evan has been featured on the TCA Texas Touring Roster, and over the past eight years has been an integral part of the Cliburn’s education initiatives, giving over 300 performances for Cliburn in the Classroom, as well as appearing in numerous Cliburn Kids videos. Evan received his Doctorate of Musical Arts from TCU, and his master’s and bachelor’s degrees from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. He teaches privately and at Tarrant County College, and serves as President of the Fort Worth Music Teachers Association.