Injury among organists and pianists is frighteningly common. Dr. Barbara Lister-Sink is an internationally renowned pianist, pedagogue, and global leader in injury-preventive keyboard technique. She has taught thousands of keyboardists to remove technical obstacles to their musical development, recover from playing-related injuries, and become conscious of good biomechanics for injury prevention. Dr. Lister-Sink is coming to the Seattle-Tacoma area March 13-14 for a concert and workshop co-hosted by Seattle and Tacoma AGO chapters.
To enable accessibility to members of both chapters, both the concert (Friday, March 13 at 7pm) and workshop (Saturday, March 14 9am-4pm) will take place in the Chapel at Wesley Homes in Des Moines. Wesley Homes has both a wonderful, newly-renovated Steinway, where the concert will take place, and an organ built by Paul Fritts, where the workshop will take place.
Dr. Lister-Sink’s Friday night concert, featuring beloved piano works by Chopin, Debussy, Rachmaninoff, and Percy Grainger, will demonstrate how developing an efficient, injury-preventative technique is always done in service of musical artistry. The Wesley Community Foundation is providing a reception following the concert.
Saturday’s workshop will have two parts. First, from 9-12:00, Dr. Lister-Sink will give a presentation and jumpstart participants’ kinesthetic awareness, guiding participants to use muscles efficiently, optimally align their skeleton, and avoid accumulation of tension while playing to improve their comfort at the console. The workshop will focus on self-awareness, self-knowledge, and self-empowerment. There will be a lunch break from 12:00-1:30, where participants are welcome to enjoy a catered lunch ($10). Then, from 1:30-4:00, Dr. Lister-Sink will lead a masterclass, where AGO members can get on the bench for a hands-on opportunity to discover places they might be holding unnecessary tension, impeding their ease of motion and comfort level at the console.
A used music exchange will be available throughout the day on Saturday.
You may look at the calendar entry for additional information and a Google map.
Important: Registration and Lunch Payment
You MUST register for the workshop. Registration and lunch payments are handled by Zeffy. You must visit Zeffy in order to register. The workshop is free for members of the Tacoma and Seattle chapters of the AGO and residents of Wesley Homes. Guest tickets may be purchased for $25.
Reservations for lunch are closed. If you have a lunch reservation, you need to bring either the printed ticket or an image of the ticket on your phone.
We have enough volunteers to play in the masterclass.