Pianowoman SK
| Gender | Female |
|---|---|
| Industry | Arts |
| Occupation | Pianist |
| Location | Bronx, NY, United States |
| Introduction | I grew up just north of NYC in an anarchist colony among freethinkers of all kinds. We had a Chickering grand piano at home, on which I started playing at the age of 5, and never stopped except for a rebellious few teenage years. I was an ardent radical and went to the U. of Chicago when I was 16, where I got a fabulous education and was free to practice my political activism. I returned to NYC to study piano seriously while getting a B.S. in English at Columbia U. After marriage (to a cellist), mother of 2 boys, I pursued an M.A. and a Ph.D in Musicology. My dissertation was on the music of Archduke Rudolph, Beethoven's only composition student. I taught at Hunter College for more than 2 decades as an Adjunct Professor, retiring in 2006. I am active as a recording critic for "Fanfare" Magazine. |
| Interests | Beethoven, Schubert, playing chamber music, reading, tough crosswords, travelling |
| Favorite movies | "Grapes of Wrath," "Brief Encounter," "Sideways," "The Fallen Idol", among many others. |
| Favorite music | Wouldn't know where to begin--or end. Music of the 19th century is my field and my main interest, along with early 20th-c. music. |
| Favorite books | Contemporary British novelists, e.g. Ian McEwan, Penelope Lively. Also Diane Johnson, J.R. Coetzee |