A pianist with Tiverton roots will return to the Ocean State in June to perform in the Music on the Hill concert series.

Lisa Raposa, who now lives in Toronto, Canada, will play twice as featured pianist, first on Monday, June 10 in Cranston, next on Wednesday, June 12, in Westerly.

• “Trio Time.” — Monday June 10, at 7pm, Holy Apostles Church, 800 Pippin Orchard Road, Cranston. Music of Prokofiev, Bach, Previn and others. With Diana McVey, soprano; Gregory Cardi & Anton Miller, violin; Rita Porfiris, viola; Trevor Handy & Elisa Kohanski, cello; John Pellegrino, bass; Joseph Foley, trumpet; Leslie Norton & Kevin Owen, French horn; Lisa Raposa & Bonnie Anderson, piano. Tickets $25 at BrownPaperTickets.com or at the door (cash or check), free for students with I.D.

• "Four Hands" — Wednesday June 12, at 7pm, Dunn's Corners Community Church, 221 Post Road, Westerly. Music of Gershwin, Barber, Sheng and others. With the Millar Piano Duo – Lisa Raposa and her husband Greg Millar – and the Miller-Porfiris Duo – Anton Miller, violin, and Rita Porfiris, viola. Tickets $25 at BrownPaperTickets.com or at the door (cash or check), free for students with I.D.

Early start in Tiverton

Ms. Raposa, who began playing the piano at age 4, writes of her time here, “I grew up in Tiverton. Tiverton Middle School had a very strong music program run by Paul Anderson. I played in the first-ever Rhode Island All State Jazz Band, thanks to Paul and my childhood piano teacher, JoAnn Mello. There was no music program at my high school, Bishop Connolly in Fall River, but I stepped in on several occasions: I performed for the school's fashion show for several years, and I played incidental music for the old-fashioned play, “Our Miss Brooks”, which was directed by the tennis coach.”

Ms. Raposa leads an active career as a piano recitalist, adjudicator, and instructor. Recognized for the clarity and precision of her playing, she has appeared in venues including Koerner Hall, the Toronto Convention Centre, the Gardiner Museum, and Gallery 345.

In Toronto, she has performed on The Piano Lunaire, a monthly series devoted to music of the 20th and 21st centuries, and recently worked with the Iranian-Canadian Composers of Toronto (ICOT) as rehearsal pianist for the newly commissioned opera, The Journey: Notes of Hope featuring soprano Zorana Sadiq.

Ms. Raposa is Vice-President of the Etobicoke-Mississauga Branch of the Ontario Registered Music Teachers' Association. She has written advisory reviews of pedagogical repertoire for the Alliance of Canadian New Music Projects and is the founder of Lorne Park Piano Lessons in Mississauga.

Prior to moving to Canada, she completed BA, MM, and DMA degrees at the University of New Hampshire, University of Massachusetts-Amherst, and Eastman School of Music respectively, earning top awards for her solo and collaborative performances. Lisa enjoys running, creative writing, and photography in her spare time.