A dinner and concert featuring pianist father-son duo Donald Ryan and Barron Ryan will benefit Rotary's Crescendo Music Awards' permanent endowment.

The event will be held Friday September 18, at 6:30 p.m., in First United Methodist's Youth & Family Center. The Rotary event is being presented in cooperation with First Methodist, where Donald and Barron have been long active in the church's music ministry.

Left to right: Barron and Don Ryan

"Mirrored Pianos: The Musical Magic of Ryan & Ryan" will launch the dual performance career of Ryan & Ryan. They are planning a series of concerts and appearances where Donald — professor of piano at ORU — and Barron — a recent honors piano graduate of OU —  will perform classical, jazz and blues.  Twin nine-foot Steinway grand pianos will be on stage and a video production unit will create CDs and DVDs of the event.
 
"We are excited to be part of Donald Ryan and Barron Ryan's launch of their new career," said Rotarian Joseph Bias, who first introduced the concert idea to leaders at both the church and Rotary.  "This will be the ultimate evening of entertainment and dining."  

Joseph, who also founded the Crescendo Music Awards, is minister of worship at First Methodist.

Donald has been a long-time judge and advisor to the Crescendo Music Awards. Barron was a participant in last spring's Crescendo competition.

Jerry Muratore, Crescendo Music Awards chair, serves on the Ryan & Ryan organizing committee.  Other Rotarians include Joseph, Tim Colwell, and Immediate Past President Cory Nickerson.  Club executive director Donna Mercier is also a committee member.

Tickets are $100 for the dinner and concert.  Concert-only tickets are $25.  Patron level supporters receive additional benefits, including a pre-event reception where Donald and Barron will perform, tables with preferred seating, CDs and DVDs of the concert, valet parking and other items.  

"Seating is limited to 720 for the dinner and concert, so tickets will sell very fast," said Joseph. Members of the Crescendo Music Awards will have tickets on sale in the next few weeks.

For more information, call Jerry or e-mail RyanConcert@TulsaRotary.com