Fran Rowell and I established a duo relationship during the mid 1980s through early 1990s. Though we had both attended Juilliard, we didn’t know each other at the time.
After completing our degrees, Fran was in an artist-in-residence at Muhlenberg College and I was teaching at Lehigh University, raising my first child, Genevieve, and restoring a grist mill that was my home. The collaboration was Fran’s initiation. She was very involved in her musical career and I was not so sure about pursuing mine. She encouraged me to play a solo work on many programs and also referred to me as her pianist – never her accompanist. Fran is inventive, friendly, down-to-earth, works hard, and embraces a high level of professional and personal integrity, and this combination of qualities really worked for me.
The other special thing about our relationship was that we never mocked something up quickly with a few rehearsals for a deadline. We worked toward a well developed musical union and the performances were simply a part of the whole of our convergence.
Recently, I gathered the chamber tapes that I had and converted them – all live performances. When I checked with Fran about posting them she replied, “Sure if you think they’re good enough,” which I find to be a typical response from someone who sets a high personal bar. I love them not only because they remind me of our work together, but because they are so tight and energetic.
Literacy at the Piano 