Diné pianist Connor Chee performs solo piano bridging classical and traditional Navajo music, drawing from acclaimed albums including 'The Navajo Piano' and 'Scenes from Dinétah'.
Connor Chee plays solo piano at the Musical Instrument Museum on Friday, November 20, as part of the museum's Afternoon Interludes series. It's a short set—around 30 minutes—starting at 2:15 PM.
Chee is a Diné pianist, and the afternoon is built around bridging two musical worlds. He'll be playing classical compositions inspired by traditional Navajo music, drawing from his acclaimed albums The Navajo Piano and Scenes from Dinétah. If you're not familiar with his work, that's exactly the hook: classical piano phrasing meeting the melodic and rhythmic shapes of traditional Navajo music. Hearing those two things together in one room is the whole point of the performance.
Since it's a solo piano set, there's nowhere for the music to hide. The program pulls from those two records, so you'll get a good cross-section of what he's been working on. It's a relatively brief window—about half an hour—which makes it an easy one to fit into a Friday afternoon without taking over your whole day.
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Practical stuff: the performance is included with paid museum admission, and it's free for members. Seating is limited and first come, first served, so if you want a spot, it's worth arriving a bit early. The program is subject to change, and the set starts at 2:15 PM on Friday, November 20.
