Playing With Wolfgang: How Messiaen Taught Me The Law of Opposites
I was immersed in 5 pieces from Messiaen’s Contemplations of the Infant Jesus. It’s hard not to be once you step through the rabbit hole and begin working on them.…
Great Finds: Stories, Technique, & Pianism
Stories, Images, and Magic from the Piano Literature Neil Rutman From Bach to Scarlatti, to Beethoven, to Schubert, to Granados, to Prokofiev, these 190 pages will inspire pianists of all…
Playing With Wolfgang: A Romantic Accusation 2
“You’re a romantic!” said my teacher in a surprised voice, as though this explained everything he found perplexing about me. I had never been accused of being anything but a…
PA Shorts: Famous Amateur Pianists
Just after reading a rather nasty comment on amateur pianists (the location shall remain nameless), I heard a performance of The Archduke Trio on the radio. What do the two have in…
Vintage PA: A Personal Lesson in Promise
The following is a portion of a speech I gave several years ago at the local kick off for the National Veterans Creative Arts Competition. I was asked to speak, to those…
Charging The Enemy
The fortune read: Keep on charging the enemy so long as there is life. I pinned the scrap of paper to the bulletin board beside my desk where, every so…
Finding Your Path
My husband and I were watching an episode of Chef’s Table on Netflix last night. The featured chef was Francis Mallman. The cinematography was gorgeous but we were both becoming…
Artist portrait: Deanna Witkowski
In this edition of Artist Portraits, we meet pianist and composer Deanna Witkowski, winner of The Great American Jazz Competition. Since her win in 2002, she has been busy touring,…