Q: “What is your earliest memory of being intrigued by music?”
A.”I recently had an old photo of myself sitting at a piano when I was about 3 years old. My clearest memory is at age 5 when I would sit at the piano and compose melodies and songs. Piano lessons began at age 8, and my musical training evolved to include voice, cello and dance.”
Q. “Did anyone in your family encourage your young talents?”
A.“With great pride and joy, my parents and grandparents encouraged me to take piano lessons. My non-musician grandfather’s youngest brother was a virtuoso violinist who won Best Amateur Violinist in the U.S.A. in the 1920’s, and he played for President Coolidge and the Paul Whiteman Orchestra. While I never met him, my family always talked about him and introduced me to his friends who played with him in New York.”
Q. “What was it like for you during your school years?”
A. Rosetta Goodkind, a Julliard School of Music teacher, was one of many teachers I studied with during my childhood. As a junior in high school, I sang solo in the school chorus, and performed in school plays. In high school, I was selected (in voice) for the All-County, All-State (New York) and All-Eastern choruses.”
Q. “When did you enter the New England Conservatory of Music?”
A. “In my late teens I was a singer and pianist for the Conservatory chorus, I was chosen as a singer with a Chamber Choir under Robert Shaw’s direction and the Cleveland Orchestra Chorus under Leonard Bernstein at the Blossom Music Festival. During the summer of 1969, I was a choral singer at the Ambler Music Festival sponsored by the Philadelphia Orchestra. In 1971, I graduated with a Bachelor of Music degree in education.”
Q. “How old were you when you went to Yale School of Music?”
A. Age 21. I studied voice and earned my Master of Music degree. I performed in recitals and was a soloist in the “Mozart Requiem” with the New Haven Symphony Orchestra. I also sang in some of the school’s small opera productions, and was invited to join the Yale Summer School opera program in Norfolk, Connecticut.”
Q. “When were you a teacher?”
A. After graduating from Yale, I taught music for a few years in West Haven, Conn. (grades K-6), continued my singing career, and performed throughout Connecticut. Composing was always a passion, but I never had the time to pursue that craft. The summer of 2006, I returned to Yale to study composition privately with Orianna Webb. During those studies, I never imagined I would go on to compose chamber music.”
Q. “You just released your first CD of original chamber music compositions, did you compose previously?”
A. In 2007, my former cello teacher requested that I compose a cello and piano piece for her. That began the flourishing of my composing talents. During 2007 and 2008, I wrote several pieces and met several wonderful musicians locally to record them. One mile away from my home, I discovered a wonderful cellist, Mary Costanza.”
Q. “People can hear your music on your website. Is there anywhere else?”
A. “Since 2009, my pieces have been aired on both WSHU and WMNR. On Father’s Day, June 20, 2010, at 3:00 PM, I will be performing at the Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center Theater in Old Saybrook, Connecticut. On July 23, I’ll perform my compositions in Southbury, Connecticut at the Pomperaug Woods senior living community at 7:00 PM.