Dr. Barry Salwen is an international concert pianist, giving performances and master classes in the U.S., Europe, Israel, and Asia. He gave two weeks of master classes at the Shanghai Conservatory in China, among many other places. As the recipient of a prestigious Fulbright Scholars Grant, he gave a semester's seminar at the Music Conservatory in Freiburg, Germany, one of the leading music institutions in the country. His annual master classes and Piano Day at UNCW have been attended by students from all over eastern North Carolina. Among Dr. Salwen's nine CDs is the first recording of the complete solo piano music of the American master Roger Sessions; he was the first artist to record all of these works. This disk was later reissued on Albany Records; his recording of Sessions' piano concerto will appear on Albany as well. Dr. Salwen has prepared a special program for the Rush Hour Concert performance that will evoke and celebrate the summer season with music written to describe the experiences of those months of the year. There might just be a hint of autumn as well!