Tête-à-Tête

Every summer the Adamant Music School in pastoral rural Vermont is the nexus where the genius of Gifted piano prodigy students, world-class piano mentors, and small but appreciative audiences gather to exult in classical music of the Romantic Era played on magnificent Steinway Concert Grand pianos. I have been attending performances there for several summers and it is as close to musical heaven as I know.  

The performance bar is set very high at the concerts, and the students always rise to the occasion. During this evening, I had already heard several students put their heart and soul into their performance when Joshua Miller presented himself to play Brahms Op. 117 Intermezzos No. 1 and 2. What I experienced was not at all what I expected. There was something different about how Josh played the piano that intrigued me, but I couldn’t figure out exactly what it was at first.  

Then it began to come to me. It was his Relationship with Mr. Steinway. I usually experience the pianist playing the piano, but that was not what I perceived with Josh. It was as though two wise old souls had sat down with each other to have a deep Conversation about life. They spoke the same language and could intimately share the full range of emotions of the human condition. Back and forth the two informed the other and brought out the best each had to offer. It was such an intimate Conversation and I felt so privileged to witness it. I was left wanting to hear more of their Conversation as it connected me with parts of myself that few others can touch. Their Conversation was the soul of genius.

Christen Lynn