LOCK HAVEN, Pa. - Lock Haven University will present a saxophone/classical concert by Duo Montagnard. The concert will take place on Wednesday, February 25 at 7:00 p.m. in Price Performance Center. This concert is free and open to the public.

Duo Montagnard is comprised of saxophonist Joseph Murphy and guitarist Matthew Slotkin. The duo was formed in 2002 and has performed over 100 concerts in 25 states, Canada, Slovenia, and Greece. Festival performances include the Chautauqua Institution, the Hartwick College Summer Music Festival, and the Alexandria Guitar Festival. Upcoming performances include tours to Thailand, Australia and New Zealand in July 2009. Further information on Duo Montagnard is available on their website www.duomontagnard.com.

Murphy has been the saxophone professor at Mansfield University of Pennsylvania since 1987. He has also been director of bands, department chair, and taught a variety of courses. Murphy was the music director of Tiffin (Ohio) Calvert High School from 1983-85. In 1985 86 he received a Fulbright Award for a year of study in Bordeaux, France where he received a Premier Prix. In June 1996 Murphy performed a solo recital at Lincoln Center. He received the bachelor of music education from Bowling Green State University, and the master’s and doctoral degrees from Northwestern University.

Slotkin has appeared at colleges and universities throughout the United States and Canada as well as at the Alexandria Guitar Festival, the Bowdoin Summer Music Festival, the Hartwick College Summer Music Festival, the Chautauqua Institution, and the DuMaurier Jazz Festival in Toronto, Ontario. His first CD, Twentieth Century Music for Guitar, was released by Centaur Records in late 2003. American Record Guide praised Slotkin for his “musical sensitivity and technical control,” and for giving “strong readings of this appealing music.” Slotkin is the director of guitar studies at Mansfield University in Mansfield, Pa., in addition to teaching at Bloomsburg University in Bloomsburg, Pa., and at Buffalo State College in Buffalo, N.Y. He received the Doctor of Musical Arts, Master of Music, and Bachelor of Music degrees from the Eastman School of Music.

“We as a performing arts department appreciate the opportunity to bring in prestigious guest artists such Duo Montagnard to perform for our students at Lock Haven University,” said Mahlon Grass, chair of the Department of Performing Arts. Grass added that Lock Haven University is in the process of developing a collaborative partnership with Mansfield University to exchange concerts that will benefit both universities. He said, “Mansfield has much to offer our students, and, now that we are an All Steinway School and have full approval for music education, we have much to offer them.”

“We look forward to their coming and encourage all to attend,” Grass stated. For further information, contact Mahlon Grass at mgrass@lhup.edu.