‘For Love of You:’ Pianist Lara Downes honors the late Clara Schumann

Lara Downes Flyer

Celebrate the 200th anniversary of the late pianist and composer Clara Schumann with a performance featuring Lara Downes on piano. The NAU School of Music, along with the NAU Women’s and Gender Studies, welcomes Downes for the performance of her work, “Clara Schumann: For Love of You” at 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 17 in Kitt Recital Hall.

The New York Times describes Downes’ playing as “luscious, moody and dreamy.” As a chart-topping recording artist, she is respected for thought-provoking musical projects. In the past, she recorded “America Again,” named to the “10 Albums that Saved 2016” list by NPR. Her recent project, “For Love of You,” honors the music of Schumann alongside works from other vital women composers during the last century.

Schumann, born in 1819, was a 9-year-old child prodigy pianist. She was one of the first women to sustain a career in music and worked as a pioneering artist, concert pianist and composer. In addition to her music, she was a mother to eight children whom she raised on her own after the death of her husband, Robert Schumann, in 1856.

Tickets for the performance can be purchased ahead of time through the Central Ticket Office. Adults are $25. Seniors, NAU faculty and staff are $17.50. Children (17 years and under) and NAU/CCC students are free with a valid ID. A $2 processing fee with be added to tickets purchased at the door. Parking passes can be purchased through University Transit Services.