MARYVILLE, Mo. – Northwest Missouri State University music faculty will kick off a season of performances with their annual Labor Day trumpet recital.

According to a news release, Professor of Music Dr. William Richardson and accompanist Dr. Jiwon Choi will take the stage at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 3, in the Charles Johnson Theater at the Olive DeLuce Fine Arts Building on the Northwest campus. The recital is free and open to the public.

A group of Northwest trumpeters and select high school musicians will share the stage with Richardson and Choi.

“We are really excited for this performance,” Richardson said. “This concert features a wide variety of styles and musical moods. We have a substantial number of university and high school trumpeters who will perform two trumpet ensemble pieces, and I am confident that audiences will enjoy the concert experience.”

Richardson and Choi will perform two pieces, “Maza balade” by Maija Einfelde and “Sesas Latviesu Tautas Dziesme Apdares Trompetei” by Romualds Kalsons, in honor of the Republic of Latvia’s centenary this year. Richardson and his family spent the spring 2010 semester in Riga, Latvia, where he taught trumpet as visiting professor and Fulbright Scholar at the Jazeps Vitols Latvian Academy of Music.

In addition, Kaila Stigler, a Northwest senior dietetics major from Kansas City, Missouri, and Richardson will perform “Concerto for Two Trumpets” by Vivaldi.

A member of the St. Joseph Symphony and the St. Joseph Big Band, Dr. Richardson serves as professor of music and assistant chair in Northwest’s Department of Fine and Performing Arts, where he teaches trumpet and various music courses in addition to directing the jazz ensembles.

Choi joined the Northwest music faculty in 2016 after completing a graduate teaching assistantship at the University of Kansas. She consistently garners high marks in international competitions, and her performances as a soloist and a collaborative pianist have spanned venues throughout the world.