Exeter, NH (October 1, 2007)—On Tuesday, October 9, 2007, 7 p.m., the Phillips Exeter Academy Music Department will present its annual Faculty Potpourri Concert inside Phillips Church, located on the corner of Tan Lane and Front Street. The concert is free and open to the public.

This year’s performance commemorates the 100th anniversary of the death of Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg (1843–1907), hailed as the greatest composer Norway has ever known.

Grieg’s compositional style represents his influences of German romantic tradition, a strong sense of national pride, and the rhythms and harmonies of Norwegian folk melodies. His Piano Concerto in A minor, composed in 1868, captures the essence of Norway—its people, landscapes and way of life. At the turn of the century, Grieg experienced overwhelming public success, and his music was played in concert halls and cafés around the world. While his goal was to create a national form of music that offered Norwegian people an identity, the enduring appreciation for his work lies in the fact that his music expresses emotions that all can recognize and enjoy.

Grieg attended the Leipzig Conservatory, majoring in piano, and was taught by some of the most eminent musicians and composers in Europe. In 1861, he made his debut as a concert pianist, and a year later held his first concert in his hometown of Bergen, where his program included Beethoven’s Pathétique sonata. Grieg’s many short pieces for piano—often built on Norwegian folk tunes and dances—led some to call him the Chopin of the north.

The Faculty Potpourri is a long-standing Exeter tradition that offers an opportunity for the music faculty and friends to collaborate and perform together on a regular basis. Potpourri concerts include instrumentalists and vocalists performing as soloists or in ensemble, and the range of musical styles and genres is often surprising and quite delightful. 

Members of the Exeter music faculty represent some of the finest musicians in New England, performing regularly with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Boston Pops, the Boston Baroque Society, the Handel and Haydn Society, and Emmanuel Music. 

In addition to their teaching responsibilities at the Academy, the 45 members of the adjunct faculty are active in coaching ensembles, accompanying student performers and performing in recitals on campus. They also teach at area colleges and universities, including the University of New Hampshire and the New England Conservatory of Music, and have directed in theaters and private music schools around New England.

For further information, please call the music department at (603) 777-3453 or visit its webpage for a complete list of upcoming events at http://www.exeter.edu/news_and_events/news_events_2990.aspx. You may also call the PEA public events line at (603) 777-4309. Directions to the Academy are available at (603) 777-4330.

Phillips Exeter Academy is a coeducational, independent preparatory school that was founded in 1781 and originated the system of instruction known as Harkness teaching in 1931. In the spirit of its charter to foster both goodness and knowledge, students come from a wide variety of geographic, economic, racial and religious backgrounds. The diverse student body comes from approximately 45 states, the District of Columbia, the Virgin Islands and 23 foreign countries.