Gary Stegall, associate professor of music, recently served as a guest artist at the Conservatorio Nacional de Música del Perú in Lima from May 19 to 28. He gave a master class for students at the conservatory and performed a public recital of pieces by Scarlatti, Czerny, Kennan, Debussy, Chopin and Gershwin.

"The most memorable thing I experienced was the audience at my recital," said Stegall. "The audience members were the most enthusiastic I've ever played for. There was a fervor to their response that continued unabated from first piece to last encore, and left me in a post-concert state of exhilaration. No better authority than the legendary pianist Artur Rubinstein considered the South American people to be the most musically receptive in the world."

Fernanco de Lucci Fernald, the director general of the conservatory, wrote Stegall that "...the valuable teachings transmitted by a maestro of your experience and rank will remain unforgettable for Peruvian students and musicians."

After his engagement at the conservatory, Stegall travelled on to Cuscos and from there went to Machu Picchu, the lost city of the Incas.