At noon on Thursday, March 31, pianist Christian McGee will perform a free concert at Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art, Auburn University as a part of the museum’s weekly series, “A Little Lunch Music.” The performance is being sponsored by Malcolm and Ruth Crocker. The Museum Café is open from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday through Friday. The music can sometimes be heard inside the café, or visitors can dine before or after the concerts. Admission to the fine art exhibitions is free courtesy of JCSM Business Partners. A suggested donation of $5 is appreciated.

Series coordinator Patrick McCurry said Auburn University senior Christian McGee has performed for “A Little Lunch Music” as soloist and as a collaborator. He said since her first appearance as a freshman in 2012, she has developed a reputation. “The audiences love the way she plays,” he said, adding that he expects several will be there just because she is on the program.

McGee is from Florence, Alabama, and was once chosen to perform a movement of a Beethoven concerto at Carnegie Hall. She works with The Shoals Symphony, and premiered Roger Brigg’s “Symphony No. 2” with the group. She has appeared as a recitalist and has won awards in competitions across Georgia and Alabama. McGee will perform four movements from Nikolai Medtner’s “Fairy Tales, Op. 51,” as well as “Pieces pour Piano” by Béla Bartók.

McCurry said the other three pianists are new to the series. All are students of Dr. Jeremy Samolesky who heads the piano program at Auburn.

Pictured left is Emma Beth Fisher, middle is Trent Briden, and above is Rebekah Horton.)

Emma Beth Fisher is a freshman from Tampa, Florida. She plays piano, violin, and organ, and received her High School Diploma in Social Music from the American College of Musicians. She holds honors from the American Guild of Organists and Florida Federation of Music Clubs. Fisher will perform Lowell Lieberman’s “Nocturne, Op. 38, No. 4.”

Trent Briden was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri. In addition to studying classical piano, he is currently pianist for The Evans Project, one of Auburn’s jazz combos. He will be releasing a CD of original piano solos this spring. Briden will perform Frédéric Chopin’s “Nocturne in F-sharp major, Op. 15, No. 2.”

Rebekah Horton is a sophomore from Birmingham, Alabama, studying accounting as well as piano. She has received first prize in the Birmingham Music Teachers Association Sonata-Sonatina competition and honors in the Alabama Music Teachers Association State Piano Auditions and Alabama Federation of Music Clubs Solo and Hymn festivals. Horton will perform Franz Joseph Haydn’s “Sonata in D major, HOB xvi:33, mov. 1,” and Franz Schubert’s “Impromptu in A-flat, Op. 142, No. 2.”