Tiverton pianist plays with Music on the Hill June 10 and 12

Acclaimed pianist Lisa Raposa grew up in Tiverton. Now based in Toronto, she returns to the Ocean State to perform with Music on the Hill, June 10 in Cranston and June 12 in Westerly.

Music on the Hill's summer festival ensemble features many former Rhode Islanders who lead active concert careers around the world. Lisa heard about the opportunity several years ago from Warwick's Nicholas Goluses, who runs the graduate program in guitar at Eastman School of Music, and met Lisa while she was doing her graduate work there.

Lisa started piano at age four, and remembers her Tiverton days fondly. "Tiverton Middle School had a very strong music program run by Paul Anderson," she says. "I played in the first-ever Rhode Island All State Jazz Band, thanks to Paul and my childhood piano teacher, JoAnn Mello. There was no music program at my high school, Bishop Connolly in Fall River, but I stepped in on several occasions: I performed for the school's fashion show for several years, and I played incidental music for the old-fashioned play, “Our Miss Brooks”, which was directed by the tennis coach!”

On June 10, Lisa will play in 3 different trios with violin, viola, bass and French horn. On June 12, she and her husband Gregory Millar will play "four hands" piano as the Millar Piano Duo: Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue", Barber's "Souvenirs" and a Poulenc sonata. For both concerts, tickets are $25 at BrownPaperTickets.com or at the door (cash or check), free for students with I.D.

Wednesday June 12 at 7pm

Dunn's Corners Community Church, 221 Post Rd., Westerly, RI

"Four Hands"

Lisa Raposa leads an active career as a piano recitalist, adjudicator, and instructor. Recognized for the clarity and precision of her playing, she has appeared in established venues including Koerner Hall, the Toronto Convention Centre, the Gardiner Museum, and Gallery 345. In Toronto, she has performed on The Piano Lunaire, a monthly series devoted to music of the 20th and 21st centuries, and recently worked with the Iranian-Canadian Composers of Toronto (ICOT) as rehearsal pianist for the newly commissioned opera, The Journey: Notes of Hope featuring soprano Zorana Sadiq. Raposa is Vice-President of the Etobicoke-Mississauga Branch of the Ontario Registered Music Teachers' Association. She has written advisory reviews of pedagogical repertoire for the Alliance of Canadian New Music Projects and is the founder of Lorne Park Piano Lessons in Mississauga. Prior to moving to Canada, she completed BA, MM, and DMA degrees at the University of New Hampshire, University of Massachusetts-Amherst, and Eastman School of Music respectively, earning top awards for her solo and collaborative performances. Lisa enjoys running, creative writing, and photography in her spare time.