Beverly Benjamin Cole, pianist and resident of Strongs, Michigan, has partnered with Soo Theatre violin instructor Benjamin Gulder to present a debut concert of Cole’s original compositions.
Cole was born in 1929 in Carleton, Michigan. As a boy, singing hynns in church sparked an interest in composing music, and he began his compositional journey by writing three short pieces for the piano. At age thirteen he began practicing piano seriously, and at fourteen he composed his first concert piece for piano (six hands). He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Music as a piano major from Indiana’s De Pauw University in 1951. A year later he graduated from the University of Michigan with a Master of Music degree.
During his career Cole served as church organist at Westminster Presbyterian Church and Salem Lutheran Church in Flint. While at Salem he began a series of pieces for organ which would eventually grow into a whole collection of works for organ. He also taught piano and music history at Asbury College in Kentucky as well as organ and piano at Olivet College in Michigan. In 1974 Cole moved to the Upper Peninsula. While camping in the Upper Peninsula he began writing compositions covering a range of instrumentation.
At 86 years of age Cole approached Gulder and asked him if he would be willing learn several compositions and present them to the public in concert. Gulder accepted the task and worked out the details of the event. He and Cole will present this debut concert under the auspices of the Soo Theatre. They will perform two short sonatas for violin and piano, a prelude for violin and piano, an elegy for unaccompanied violin, and a fantasy for piano based on the well loved Greensleeves tune.
Gulder has studied violin since age thirteen, and has performed in a variety of ensembles, recitals, and concert productions. He serves on faculty at the Soo Theatre Arts Resource Studios, and teaches violin using the Suzuki method for younger students and other techniques for older students. He loves performing and teaching both classical and fiddle styles of music. He teaches year round, and takes beginning students at any time of the year.
The debut concert will be held at Central United Methodist church at 3:00 p.m. on Sunday, February 28th. Cole, Gulder, and the Soo Theatre Project would like to cordially invite the general public to attend. Admission is free but donations to cover the cost of the event will be gladly received.
