Piano Collaborator’s Blog
John Constable, The Quarters Behind Alresford Hall, 1816The light in this 1816 John Constable painting seems to be completely wrong. Why?Over the years I've been fascinated with the second decade of the 19th century, and why musical output changed so much during this time. The list of active composers dropped… [more...]
These words of advice from Thelonious Monk are taken from a list transcribed by saxophonist Steve Lacy, dated from 1960:Just because you're not a drummer doesn't mean that you don't have to keep time. A note can be as small as a pin or as big as the world, it depends… [more...]
Working at a university, conservator, or college is one of the most common ways to get employment as a collaborative pianist. However, many of these positions don't pay particularly well, offer limited or no benefits, and might not even be at a faculty level. Making things more challenging is that… [more...]
Robert Thies looks at the relationships between pianists, their collaborators, and concert presenters in Might We Accompany Each Other? How Audiences and Presenters Perceive the Singer/Pianist Dynamic in the March-April 2021 edition of the Journal of the New York Singing Teachers' Association. That this is intended as a primer for singers… [more...]
As classical musicians, we love to play their music religiously, but forget our favorite composer's big days year after year. HBD!Project aims to fix that, and is the brainchild of Toronto-based musicians Natalya Gennadi and Catherin Carew. This month's party features the music of Maurice Ravel, Diane Berry, J.S. Bach,… [more...]