EUGENE–Two Faculty Artist Series concerts spotlighting the music of Bach for organ and harpsichord and of Grieg for violin and piano are scheduled this week at the University of Oregon School of Music, 961 E. 18th Ave.

For more information, call the music school 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 taped message of the week’s events.

Organ and harpsichord professor Barbara Baird will give a recital featuring music of Johann Sebastian Bach as part of the Faculty Artist Series. Concert time is 8 p.m. in Beall Concert Hall, 961 E. 18th Ave. Tickets, available at the door, are $7 general admission and $4 for students and senior citizens.

The program includes five selections, all by Bach: two partitas, plus "Fantasy and Fugue in G Minor," "Tocatta, Adagio and Fugue in C Major" and "Italian Concerto." Baird also will share some observations about the contrasting styles between the pieces.

Baird has been a member of the UO music faculty since 1989, teaching organ and harpsichord. After earning her bachelor’s degree from Texas Christian University, she studied three years at the Cologne Conservatory of Music in Germany. Baird received her Master of Music degree in harpsichord performance from Southern Methodist University, and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in organ and harpsichord performance from the University of Oregon. An active recitalist since 1971, Baird has performed throughout the United States and the former West Germany.

In 1984—85, Baird presented a series of nine all-Bach organ and harpsichord recitals in Eugene in honor of the Bach Tercentenary and, in 1995, she was the only American invited to perform at the International Swiss Organ Festival. She has conducted workshops and master classes in baroque performance practice for keyboardists, and she has recorded two CDs of organ music on the magnificent Ahrend organ in Beall Hall.

Music of Edvard Grieg will be featured as UO violin professor Fritz Gearhart and guest pianist John Owings give a Faculty Artist Series concert at 8 p.m. in Beall Hall. Tickets, available at the door, are $7 general admission and $4 for students and senior citizens.

The program contains three violin-piano sonatas by Grieg (1843—1907): "Sonata No. 1 in F Major," "Sonata No. 2 in G Major" and "Sonata No. 3 in C Minor." Grieg, one of the foremost lyrical composers of all time, utilizes folk elements of his Norwegian homeland in a romantic style that is both accessible and engaging.

Gearhart is the most recent addition to the UO music faculty. He received his master’s degree from the Eastman School of Music, where he studied with Donald Weilerstein. His earlier performances as a member of the Chester String Quartet were widely acclaimed by the press and singled out as a highlight of the 1989 String Quartet Congress. Gearhart has performed in major halls around the country, and he has several compact discs to his credit.

Owings is on the music faculty of Texas Christian University. The Owings-Gearhart Duo was formed in 1989, and their continuing musical collaboration recently produced a 1998 compact disc of the music of Quincy Porter on the Koch International Classics label.

Continuing their touring this year, the Owings-Gearhart Duo will appear on the Mid-America Series in Weill Hall at Carnegie Hall on Jan. 12, 1999. That performance will mark their second appearance on the series and coincides with the 10th anniversary of their collaboration.

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