Something new for our virtual community: a music recital! Sue Leavitt, wife of classmate John Leavitt, will give us a piano performance on Zoom on February 8 at Noon Eastern Time (US). The timing will be a lunchtime recital for the East Coast, and a late breakfast for those on the West Coast. If you live in between, listen to beautiful music to accompany your brunch. Whatever time zone you are in, make sure that you join us to celebrate: champagne (or rare tea) would be appropriate.
Here is what Sue has provided to describe her music background and a list of the pieces that she will be playing:
I graduated from Hartt College of Music, University of Hartford in 1969 as a piano pedagogy major. Originally, the plan was to pursue music education, but when the course work seemed to have too many holes to provide the best background to teach, I changed to piano performance only to struggle with performance issues such as memorization and the need to focus on practicing for 6-8 hours daily!
After my first marriage, it became imperative for me to earn some money, so I pursued a job as a music educator. Not only did I not have any music education background in college, but I had very little music education as a child and what I did have was rather inadequate. However, with my musical background and a huge risk taken by the employing principal, I began a 32-year career in music education where I taught at every grade level, beginning at the high school and middle school level and finishing my career at the elementary level.
My high school choral groups participated in several adjudicated festivals and worked with college choral professors, singing amazing literature from the Renaissance through contemporary period. I worked as an accompanist for our own groups as well as accompanying Festival choruses around New England including Connecticut All-State and All New England Choruses. I also performed several two-piano recitals with pianists who were willing to work on music with me.
I founded Family Academy of Music to provide music education for very young children with their caregivers. It also included Treble Troubadours, an auditioned children’s chorus, LadySong, a community chorus for women, Act Out Sing and Shout, a summer music/drama camp, and piano lessons for a studio of 20-30 young people. This small music school existed for about two decades.
In 2021, I realized that I had never performed a solo piano recital. Although I had been playing and performing as an accompanist and a church musician since 1969, the idea of a solo recital was terrifying, mostly because of the fear of a memory lapse. At age 75, I decided that using music was perfectly acceptable, discovered a device that turns pages when reading music on an I-pad and I was off on the road of hours of practice and performing. This recital is the third solo recital I have performed in about a year.
Thank you for joining in this Zoom event. I hope you enjoy! Sue
Prelude and Fugue No. 5 in D major BWV 850 J.S. Bach (father)
Sonata in G Major, Wq 56/2 C.P.E. Bach C.P.E. Bach (son)
Rondo Capriccioso in E Major, Opus 14 Felix Mendelssohn (Brother)
Das Jahr (The Year) Fanny Mendelssohn (Sister)
#5 May
#7 July
#13 Choral
Impromptu: Le Sabbat Opus 5, #1 Clara Schumann (Wife)
Romance Opus 11, #2
Aufschwung, Fantasiestucke, Opus 12 Robert Schumann (Husband)
Lady Be Good George Gershwin, Lyrics by Ira Gershwin (Brothers)
I’ve Got Rhythm
Usual rules apply. Let me know by the close of business on Monday, February 6 that you wish to join us to attend the recital. Send the RSVP to my email: arthur.fergenson@ansalaw.com .
See you soon!
Arthur Fergenson