EUGENE–Preview performances by UO gospel singers and by student dancers, and a concert by one of the world’s piano virtuosos will conclude the University of Oregon School of Music’s 31st season of its Chamber Music Series this week.

For more information, call the UO School of Music weekdays at (541) 346-5678. To confirm concert times and ticket information, call GuardLine from a Touch-Tone phone at 485-2000, ext. 2533, for a 24-hours-a-day taped message of the week’s events.

The University Gospel Choir and Conviction Chorale, under the direction of Julia Neufeld, will give a special concert on the Central Arts Concert Series at 6 p.m. at Central Presbyterian Church, 1475 Ferry St. Tickets, available at the door, are $5 general admission and $3 for students and senior citizens.

The concert, titled "Joy in the House," is a preview of the choir’s regular program, scheduled in May. Selections include Manhattan Transfer’s "Operator" as well as jazz, swing and funk material. The choir is made up of more than 100 UO students, along with instrumental backup provided by Dustin Lanker, Mark Schneider, Jason Palmer and Thierry Renoux.

The newly formed University of Oregon Repertory Dance Company will preview its spring touring program at 7 p.m. in Dougherty Dance Theatre, located in the Gerlinger Annex, 1484 University St. Admission to the preview is free. Seating is limited.

The company will tour five local high schools this spring, presenting a lecture-demonstration created by Amy Lynn Stoddart, an assistant professor of dance, and Pamela Geber, a visiting assistant professor of dance. Stoddart and Geber will narrate a demonstration by UO dance students of how movement vocabulary becomes a medium for choreography in a variety of dance styles.

For further information, call the Department of Dance, 346-3386.

Pianist Stephen Hough, one of the world’s virtuoso pianists, will conclude the 31st season of the Chamber Music Series with an 8 p.m. recital in Beall Concert Hall, 961 E. 18th Ave.

Reserved-seat tickets range from $8 to $22, available in advance from the Hult Center at 682-5000. Student rush tickets will be sold at the door for $5 and $9.

On the program are "Sonata in C Major" by Joseph Haydn, "Sonata in B Minor" by Franz Liszt, "Ghost Variations" by George Tsontakis and "Three Variations" by Frederic Mompou.

A free talk by Professor Peter Bergquist will precede the concert at 7:15 p.m. in Room 198 of the Music Building, 961 E. 18th Ave. Bergquist will offer insights and recorded examples from the repertoire on the program.

Hough also will give a free master class at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, April 21, in Beall Hall.

Hough has emerged as a unique presence on the international concert scene. His performances range from recitals of unusual works to concerts with the world’s finest orchestras. Since winning first prize in the Naumburg International Piano Competition in 1983, he has performed with most of the major American orchestras and with numerous European orchestras under such conductors as Abbado, Dohnanyi, Dutoit, Gergiev, Levine, Rattle, Salonen, Temirkanov and Tilson Thomas. Recent and upcoming orchestral engagements include appearances with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Cleveland Orchestra, Boston Symphony and Toronto Symphony, and his Carnegie Hall debut with the Philadelphia Orchestra.

Hough gives recitals regularly in major halls and series all over the world. He has been a frequent guest at many international festivals, including Aspen, Ravinia, Tanglewood, Hollywood Bowl, Mostly Mozart, La Roque, Antheron and the Proms.

Hough has made more than 30 recordings, many of which have won international prizes such as the Diapason d’Or, the Deutscher Schallplattenpreis, Classic CD and Gramophone Awards. In 1996 his Hyperion CD of concertos by Scharwenka and Sauer was awarded Gramophone Magazine Concerto Record of the Year and Recording of the Year. His 1997 recording of Mendelssohn’s complete works for piano and orchestra received high praise from the critics.

As a chamber musician, Hough collaborates on a regular basis with friends such as Steven Isserlis, Joshua Bell, Pamela Frank and Tabea Zimmerman. He also has performed with the Cleveland, Emerson and Juilliard quartets and has recorded the complete sonatas of Beethoven and Brahms with the Juilliard Quartet’s former first violinist, Robert Mann.

Hough’s most recent recording, a solo disc titled "New York Variations," includes the first recordings of John Corigliano’s "Etude Fantasy" and the epic "Ghost Variations" by George Tsontakis, a work dedicated to Hough that he premiered in 1998. This CD was selected by Time magazine as Best Classical Recording of 1998.

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