Concert Pianist Margery M. Whatley returns to UAH for CONSTELLATION performance

Margery McDuffie Whatley, distinguished classical pianist will give a performance as part of the UAH CONSTELLATION Concert series.

Courtesy Photo: Margery McDuffie Whatley

Margery McDuffie Whatley, classical pianist and Steinway artist will give a performance as part of The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) CONSTELLATION Concert Series on Tuesday Feb. 12.

The concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the UAH Roberts Recital Hall. The program includes favorites by Liszt, Rubinstein, and Gershwin. Tickets can be purchased at eventbrite.com ($5-$10).

Whatley performs coast to coast as a piano soloist and as a chamber musician. A former faculty member of the UAH Department of Music, she currently serves on the music faculty at Birmingham-Southern College and Birmingham-Southern College Conservatory of Fine and Performing Arts.

“My colleagues and I are excited to welcome Margery back ‘home’ to UAH and Roberts Recital Hall for this special performance. Revered by students and faculty alike, she was an integral member of our UAH Music family for many years and left an indelible mark on the campus and community,”said Dr. C. David Ragsdale, Chair, Department of Music.

While at UAH, Whatley was a tenured Associate Professor and the Chair of the Department of Music. She served on the boards of the Huntsville Symphony Orchestra and the Huntsville Youth Orchestra. In addition, she has served as secretary of the Arts Council and vice president of the Huntsville Chamber Music Guild. Whatley was an active member of the Huntsville Symphony Orchestra Guild.

After her tenure at UAH, Whatley moved to Missoula, MT. While in Missoula Margery was featured on Montana Public Radio, served as a visiting professor and sabbatical replacement at The University of Montana. And, she also served as president of the String Orchestra of the Rockies Board of Directors and president of the Missoula Music Teachers Association.

In 2012, Whatley and her family relocated to Birmingham. She joined the music faculty at Birmingham-Southern College and Birmingham-Southern College Conservatory of Fine and Performing Arts in the fall of 2014. Active in several organizations, she is vice-president and former president of the Birmingham Metro Music Forum and serves on the executive board of the Alabama Music Teachers Association. She received the Steinway & Sons 2016 Top Teacher Award.

A native of Macon, GA, Whatley performed at the U. S. Supreme Court at the request of former Supreme Court Justice Harry A. Blackmun; at the World Congress Center in Atlanta for the Georgia Music Hall of Fame Awards Ceremony; and at the Georgia Governor’s Mansion with her brother, internationally acclaimed violinist Robert McDuffie.

She received her Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. Whatley earned her Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees in piano performance at the University of Southern California where she studied with renowned conductor and pianist, John Perry. Whatley was named the most outstanding piano doctoral graduate.

Her three CDs, Piano Reflections – Encore Favorites; Margery McDuffie Whatley plays Bach, Haydn, Brahms and Ravel; and From Mozart to Gershwin, have received rave reviews from Fanfare Magazine and American Record Guide. Whatley’s fourth solo CD, Piano Gems, will be released this spring. She is a Steinway Artist.


Contact

Ron Guthrie
 256.824.2717
ron.guthrie@uah.edu

  SHARE

Popular Stories