Composer and pianist Dan Knight to perform at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum

World-renowned artist to perform 'The Walt Whitman Suite'    

[April 05, 2007]  SPRINGFIELD -- On April 15 at 7 p.m., the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum will host master pianist Dan Knight as he presents his composition "The Whitman Suite" in the museum's Union Theatre.

Named after the 19th-century American poet Walt Whitman, the "Walt Whitman Suite" has nine pieces, each based on segments of Whitman's "Leaves of Grass" as well as his prose works. Knight's performance also includes spoken segments of Whitman's poetry. Knight's composition was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize in music.

As one of the world's finest improvising musicians, Knight is one of the acknowledged master pianists of his generation. A Steinway Artist as well as a composer and educator, Knight has toured the world and has several CD recordings. He has appeared in performances across the United States and Europe, including an unprecedented three consecutive performances at the legendary Montreaux Jazz Festival.

Tickets are $12 for the public and $10 for Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library Foundation members. For tickets, call 217-558-8938.

Knight's April performance is in conjunction with National Poetry Month and with the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library's temporary exhibit "Chapter and Verse: Connecting to Poetry," which runs April though September.

This event is co-sponsored by the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library Foundation and the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency.

For more information on Dan Knight, visit http://www.danknight.com.

[Text from file received from Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum]

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