Digby Bell Memorial Recital to Feature Pianist David Brickle March 9

March 3, 2022

Pianist Dr. David Brickle will perform for the 2022 Digby Bell Memorial Recital Wednesday, March 9, at 8 p.m. in Raley Chapel’s Yarborough Auditorium. The event is hosted by the OBU Division of Music. Please note the performance was originally scheduled for March 8 but will now be held the following evening.

The Digby Bell Memorial Recital is held annually on the OBU campus in honor of Dr. Digby Bell, late husband of Dr. Carol Ann Bell, retired professor of piano at OBU. Digby and Carol Ann Bell were well known in Oklahoma as a duo pianist team. Digby earned both his undergraduate and master’s degrees at the University of Michigan and a doctorate from the University of North Texas. He then taught and performed at the University of Oklahoma for more than 40 years. He chaired the OU keyboard department for 25 years and was named professor emeritus upon his retirement.

Brickle will perform a varied program, including Beethoven’s turbulent “Appassionata” sonata, Franz Liszt’s dazzling piano transcription of Richard Wagner’s overture to “Tannhäuser” and an assortment of “Moments Musicaux” (“musical moments”) by the Russian Romantic composer Sergei Rachmaninoff. He will also perform a duo piano work by the contemporary American composer Victoria Bond called “Binary,” in which Brickle will be joined by OBU’s Dr. Mark Franklin, assistant professor of music.

During his visit, Brickle will also work with OBU piano students in a master class March 10 at 1 p.m. and follow with a lecture on the music of Victoria Bond at 4 p.m. All events will be held in Yarborough Auditorium and are free and open to the public.

Dr. David Brickle serves as assistant professor of music at Milligan University, teaching piano and music theory. He has performed widely throughout the continental United States, Puerto Rico and internationally in Spain. He has appeared in a variety of broadcasts including National Public Radio’s “Performance Today” and ETV Radio’s “On the Keys.” He has been a featured guest artist in numerous concert series including the Lander University Emerging Keyboard Artist Series, the Festival of Keys, the Southern Exposure Concert Series, The Wallace Community College International Artist Series and the South Carolina Governor’s School Discovery Summer Music Program. He has also performed as a concerto soloist with the Anderson Symphony Orchestra and as a keyboardist for the Chautauqua Music School Festival Orchestra.

After winning first prize in the South Carolina MTNA competition two years in a row and receiving honorable mention at the southeastern division level, he has also twice been a finalist at the Chautauqua International Piano Competition. He performed in “The Best of Young Artists Chamber Music Concert” at the Roundtop Festival Institute after being selected as a winner during their annual chamber music competition in 2017. Most recently, he was selected as the winner of the Chapman/Neesen competition within the Florida State University graduate piano program. He and his wife, Dr. Marianna Brickle, have collaborated in many concerts and recitals as a violin and piano duo since 2007.

Learn more about the Division of Music at OBU.