A piano recital to honor Catherine Smith, a retired Eastern professor, will take place at 7:30 p.m. Saturday in the Dvorak Concert Hall at the Doudna Fine Arts Center.

Smith taught piano classes at Eastern from 1949 to 1986. She was also a chair of the keyboard area for the music department. The recital will be in honor of her years of work at Eastern, as well as her 90th birthday.

As entertainment at the recital, many Eastern alumni will return to Doudna to perform.

Paul Johnston, jazz professor and event coordinator, said alumni will be traveling from all over the country to perform at the recital.

“There are over 20 alumni returning for the event,” he said.  “Many of them are successful teachers; others are accomplished performers.”

An array of performances will include solo piano and vocal performances as well as pieces for four hands and eight hands.

A four hands piano performance requires two pianists, and an eight hands piano performance requires four pianists.

Ron Roberts, of Huntsville, Ala., will serve as emcee for the evening.

Doug Nicholson, Darice Palmier, Bob Beals and Bev Tipps will do an eight hands performance. They plan to perform the “Dance Macabre,” by Saint Saens.

Duets will be performed by Connie Lambert, Karen Mazza, Ann Wallace Hearring, Jan Burt, Diane Reeds, Ty Tuttle, Rachael Kramer and Ron Roberts.

“Tarentella from Gazebo Dances,” “C.S. Theme and Variations,” “Allegro from Sonata #3 in D Major” and “Fantasia on Hyfrydol and Diademata” are among the pieces being performed as duets.

Jonathan Bowman will perform “The Garden of Eden Rags”, Alice Jane Swickard will perform “Moonlight Sonata”, and Johnston will perform “Time After Time.”

Hillary Nicholson will sing “Madrid,” “Die Sterne” and “Plainte d’amour” by Pauline Viardot.

While Smith worked at Eastern, she became a dedicated member of the Charleston community. For example, Smith was a member of the committee that planned and built the Newman Catholic Center. Smith now resides in Bloomington, Ind.

This event is open to the public and free of charge.

Samantha Middendorf can be reached at 581-2812 or semiddendorf@eiu.edu.