September 24, 2021

Pianist, Trumpeter Grace the Stage at Manchester

Ali Risner

Pianist Dion Cunningham and trumpeter Joshua Ganger wooed the audience during their performance at Cordier Auditorium on Saturday, September 18.

Cunningham, a researcher and producer who keeps a career as a soloist and collaborator has an international performing career. He studied piano at Macalester College, graduating with a master’s degree, and went on to educate and inspire young people with nontraditional backgrounds to pursue a career in music. He believes music has a strong power over us to help come together and have a better human connection with another.

Ganger graduated college with a doctoral degree in trumpet performance, since then he has used his skills to perform all around the country and at many schools in Indiana. He released a solo album through Summit Records in 2016. Ganger can perform on a Powell Custom B-flat Trumpet, C Trumpet, and a Flugelhorn.

The performance at Manchester was beyond imagination; the pair of musicians played many pieces and each piece was different and unique in its own way. The first song they played, “Rhapsody in Blue” composed by George Gershwin, was an exciting piece that caught the audience’s attention at the beginning. This got the audience invested in their performance and helped to keep them engaged throughout the show. They also played pieces such as “Aftershock: A Response to 9/11,” “Widmung,” “A Winger’s Night,” and “Amazing Grace.” While they played “Aftershock,” a heartfelt but perhaps not well-known piece, the whole auditorium fell particularly silent, and listened intently. At the same time, when they played a song like “Amazing Grace,” the audience listened because it is familiar.

By the end of the performance, the audience was clapping enthusiastically. Cunningham and Ganger put on a wonderful performance at Manchester.