Four Bluffton University music students will take their talents to a New York City stage Oct. 21.

The performers, also including Dr. Lucia Unrau, professor and chair of Bluffton's music department, will present a 7 p.m. recital that Thursday in Manhattan's Steinway Hall. A reception will follow with university President Dr. James Harder.

"Having a debut in New York City is rare as a college student, and our students are honored and grateful for this opportunity," said Unrau.

The participating Bluffton students are pianists Brandon Fullenkamp, a senior from Wapakoneta, Stephanie Patterson, a junior from McComb, and Tim Yoder, a junior from Dalton, along with composer James Brake, a junior from Ohio City.

The recital will celebrate the 200th anniversary of the births of both Chopin and Schumann, and Fullenkamp will also perform a piece composed by Brake.

Bluffton is an "All-Steinway School," one of 82 colleges and universities in the nation that use all Steinway-brand pianos. As a result, Steinway & Sons will offer the Bluffton visitors a guided tour and lunch Oct. 22 at its factory in Long Island City, Queens.

"The tour of the Steinway factory is fascinating, particularly since we are assured that we will see the 'bending of the frame'" of a grand piano, Unrau added. "It will answer the question that's always asked, 'How do they bend the wood in that shape?' The attendees will not only know the answer, but they will be able to say they saw it happen."

At the same time, the arts at Bluffton will also be on display in Brooklyn's Henry Gregg Gallery, where ink drawings by Phil Sugden, assistant professor of art, will be exhibited.

Alumni and friends are invited to join the Bluffton contingent in New York. For more information, contact Julia Szabo, the university's director of alumni relations and annual giving, at 419-358-3245 or [email protected].

"Having alumni spend a weekend with Bluffton students in New York City provides an opportunity for us to have a shared cultural experience and to be reminded that Bluffton produces graduates who go on to live, work, perform and contribute to society in many places around the world," Szabo said.