Grace Lutheran Church of Port Townsend will kick off the first of three concerts, featuring what they are billing as “some of the most talented pianists in the Pacific Northwest,” in the church sanctuary on Saturday, June 29, at 3 p.m.

Dr. William Chapman Nyaho, the first performer in the series, earned degrees from St. Peter’s College, Oxford University, the Eastman School of Music and University of Texas at Austin, and also studied at the Conservatoire de Musique de Genève, Switzerland.

Chapman Noah serves as vice president for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Resources at the Music Teachers National Association, as well as on the faculty at Pacific Lutheran University and the summer faculty at Interlochen Center for the Arts in Michigan, all while running a private piano studio in Seattle.

As a solo recitalist, a member of the Nyaho/Garcia Duo, a chamber musician and a lecturer, he promotes music by composers of African descent. He has compiled and edited a five-volume anthology, “Piano Music of Africa and the African Diaspora.”

Lisa Lanza, with Grace Lutheran Church at 1120 Walker St. came to know of Chapman Nyaho through Loran Olsen, her longtime friend, mentor and piano coach, who was also Professor Emeritus of Music and Native American Studies at Washington State University.

In 2023, Olsen, who now lives in Port Angeles, was honored with a "Citation for Leadership," for his work on diversity, by the same Music Teachers National Association on which Chapman Nyaho serves.

“Loran introduced me to the multiple volumes of piano music that Dr. Chapman Nyaho compiled and edited for his anthology,” Lanza said. “While considering possible guest artists for our piano concert series, I asked Loran if he thought there might be a chance Dr. Chapman Nyaho would play for us. I was so thrilled to hear back from his agent that he would play here.”

Grace Lutheran Church will join many other locations throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, Africa, Asia, South America and the Caribbean where Chapman Nyaho has played. Lanza told The Leader that local audiences can look forward to hearing him play music by Chopin, Bach, Rachmaninoff, Florence Price, Margaret Bonds and Samuel Coleridge Taylor, as well as by composers from Cuba and Egypt.

Lanza explained that this concert series is the result of funds donated in memory of late congregation member George Hanson (1934-2018), and is designed to feature the Schimmel grand piano the church acquired through more than $20,000 in memorial gifts.

Hanson had retired to Port Townsend following his career as a staff member of the University of Chicago Divinity School. He is remembered by Grace Lutheran Church as a great lover of music and a musician in his own right.

A donation of $20 per person is suggested in support of this inaugural concert, which is slated to be followed by two more concerts, in the fall of 2024 and the spring of 2025.