Piano Concert

Saturday, March 5 at 7pm BUUF Presents: Bob Milne, Ragtime Pianist.

Ragtime and Boogie Woogie at its finest!bobmilneposternewest

Nationally acclaimed pianist Bob Milne will perform at 7 p.m. Saturday, March 5, 2016, at the Berrien Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, 4340 Lincoln Ave, St. Joseph, Michigan.

Milne is nationally known for his knowledge of the history of ragtime and boogie-woogie music and his technique and energetic playing style. He has performed and lectured at the Library of Congress and he is featured on its Ragtime Web page. He also has played in the home of former president George H.W. Bush.

As a student in the late 1960s at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, N.Y., Milne began his musical career not as a pianist but as a French horn virtuoso. He performed with such symphonies as the Rochester Philharmonic and the Baltimore Symphony. When the performances were over, the symphony musicians would relax and “ham it up” in the local saloon. Because he didn’t carry his horn around with him, Milne soon found himself at the piano, quickly learning how to accompany the singers and entertain the crowd.

Milne moved to Detroit, where he pursued piano playing full time in just about every kind of bar, saloon and barrelhouse imaginable. At that time, he spent his off hours listening to other talented piano players in the area, picking up an invaluable education by observing and comparing, and learning new tunes on the spot.

On the job, while leading sing-along crowds, he developed a highly energetic playing style that would penetrate the noise in the room, convey a steady rhythm and capture the attention of the barroom patrons. His style, he later discovered, was based on a type of off-the-beat, “ragged” time very similar to the styles of America’s early ragtime era of the late 1800s and early 1900s.

As he continued performing night after night, he expanded his repertoire, adding early ragtime pieces, Scott Joplin rags and songs by John William “Blind” Boone. As he continued to listen and study, he delved into the boogie-woogie, Dixieland and stride piano styles.

Today, Milne enjoys a successful career as a concert pianist, entertaining audiences in concert halls, opera houses and arena stages from coast to coast.

He shares his knowledge about piano playing and music in general with his listeners, as well as the histories of others like him – musicians and composers of all eras who learned by listening and doing.

As a recording artist, Milne has produced 10 collections of solo piano rags, blues, boogies and folk/traditional tunes, which are available on cassette and CD.

Milne also is the author of four books, including “The Journeyman Piano Player,” a collection of humorous anecdotes taken from his early years as a working musician, and “Turtle Lake: Portrait of an Extortionist,” a fictional suspense tale.

Tickets at the door are $15 for adults and $5 for children age 12 and younger.

Purchase your tickets in advance at berrienuu.org/shop

Sunday Service

Join us this Sunday, March 6 at 10:30am for a message on the Joys of Giving as well as our Kick Off Canvas for the beginning of our pledge season.