Grand Valley State University is constantly curating concerts, and the recitals of the Baum series are no exception. The William Baum Endowment Fund, named in honor of GVSU political science professor known for his passion for the arts, allows the school to host recitals featuring a multitude of talented musicians. 

Aside from being an important member of GVSU’s political science department, Baum held an enormous interest in and respect for classical music. To honor his memory and his passion, the university holds the Endowment Fund in order to produce a series of recitals primarily featuring piano music. The latest in this series will be a concert featuring Dr. Jonathan Bass, a renowned pianist and professor from the Boston Conservatory at Berklee.

Bass is an enormously talented piano soloist and chamber musician with a number of awards and recognition to his name. He has studied and taught at schools such as the famous Juilliard School, Indiana University, Oberlin College and the Moscow Conservatory. Assistant professor of piano Sookkyung Cho shared some thoughts on the upcoming recital and Bass himself.

“(Bass) really is a world class performer, so it really is a special performance,” Cho said. “He’s a very mature, very experienced performer. You just don’t want to miss something like this!”

Among Bass’s many personal accomplishments include a wide array of awards, including first prizes in the American Pianists Association Beethoven Fellowship Competition and the American National Chopin Competition. His performance highlights include guest appearances with the Boston Symphony Chamber Players and collaborations with violist Joseph Silverstein.

Many publications have praised Bass’ technique, with Gramophone Magazine calling his playing style “superb,” and MusicWeb praising his second CD, claiming “(Bass) plays superbly throughout and proves an eminent and convincing advocate of Bell’s consistently fine and attractive music.”

This concert is sure to be a wonderful and captivating experience, and should not be missed. The William Baum Recital featuring Jonathan Bass will be held on April 7 at 3 p.m. in the Sherman Van Solkema Hall in the Haas Center for Performing Arts. More information can be found at Bass’s website.