Austina Lee & Gareth Dylan Smith perform the works of Beethoven, Mozart, & Debussy

Ever heard Beethoven with a backbeat? Pianist Austina Lee and drummer Gareth Dylan Smith got together in the studio to record their own take on Beethoven’s Sonata No. 8 in C Minor Opus 13. Their unique piano-and-drums arrangement of the well-loved “Pathétique” sonata gives profound expression to the joy, turmoil and intimacy of the composer’s text. The connectivity with which the duo performs makes the seemingly unusual pairing of a Classical era composition and a drum kit feel completely natural. The concert will include a performance of the full three-movement sonata, as well as other works by Mozart and Debussy. The event will take place at Arts Society of Kingston on Saturday, June 28th at 7pm. Tickets are $15 at the door.

Gareth Dylan Smith is an English American drummer and Assistant Professor of Music at Boston University. He plays drums with Austina Lee, Stephen Wheel, Black Light Bastards, Oh Standfast, Dirty Blond, Zack Moir (Build A Fort), Dan Sheehan, Andy Krikun, Johnny Toonice and the Eruptörs. In 2024 Gareth released a solo album Permission Granted with Anthrophonic Records. A prolific author, Gareth’s books include I Drum, Therefore I Am (2013), A Philosophy of Playing Drum Kit (2022), and forthcoming monograph, Conversations at the Drums.

Austina Lee is a musician, educator and scholar with expertise in performing and teaching music in a range of styles. Her research interests include punk pedagogies, pedagogy of love and improvisation in music. Austina is passionate about cultivating caring relationships among students and community members to harness their unique strengths and create educational experiences and connections through music, celebrated in her forthcoming monograph: Vibrant Connections. Dr. Lee currently serves as Assistant Clinical Professor at the University of Connecticut’s Neag School of Education.