American Blueprints

Pianist Scott Watkins presents an all-American recital tracing the architectural foundations of the nation’s piano literature—from its earliest bold statements to a newly emerging voice.

The program features Edward MacDowell’s sweeping Piano Sonata No. 1, Op. 45 (“Tragica”) alongside Howard Hanson’s Piano Sonata in A minor, Op. 11 (1918), a long-overlooked work of striking Romantic intensity and lyricism. Watkins made the world premiere recording of Hanson’s sonata following the discovery of its manuscript in 2007, helping to restore the piece to the American repertoire.

The recital culminates in the world premiere performance of a new Piano Sonata by Benjamin Shorstein, offering audiences the rare opportunity to hear a major work at the moment of its arrival.

Spanning more than a century, American Blueprints reveals a living tradition—one in which voices are not only inherited, but rediscovered and newly realized.

Free and open to the public.