Piano Inspires Podcast: Karen Walwyn

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To celebrate the latest episode of the Piano Inspires Podcast featuring Karen Walwyn, we are sharing an excerpted transcript of her conversation with Leah Claiborne. Want to learn more about Walwyn? Check out the latest installment of the Piano Inspires Podcast. To learn more, visit pianoinspires.com. Listen to our latest episode with Walwyn on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or our website!

Karen Walwyn: When I went to [the] University of Michigan, then I met Dr. Willis Patterson.

Leah Claiborne: So, yes. [Laugh] Karen and I, we would both agree Dr. Willis Patterson is our mentor.

KW: Yes.

LC: Biggest advocate, [the] person you call [and] sit down [with]. Just the most beautiful person, I believe, in our industry. For those who do not know Dr. Willis Patterson, could you give a quick synopsis of Dr. Patterson?

KW: I first met him actually because he did a Black Music Symposium in 1985. I was a master’s student still at University of Miami. When I got to go to the symposium, I got to go as a student participant. And while I was there, I actually played. The chair of the piano department heard me play, and he said, “You need to come here for your doctoral degree.” Moving forward, I did receive a full scholarship to enter the University of Michigan. Of course, you know, I was the accompanist for Our Own Thing Chorale with Dean Patterson. 

LC: I didn’t know that, wow. 

KW: Yeah! For years, we get in the car, ride over to the rehearsals, [and] chit chat. 

LC: In Jefferson Church. 

KW: Yeah. But one day he saw me in the hall, and he said, “Karen! Do you know any pieces by any African American composers?” And I wanted to slip under the floor because I felt so guilty. I feel like I’m supposed to have known. But none of my previous teachers were on that track because usually, the typical repertoire for competition is A, B and C, but not including African American literature. 

“No…?” He said, “Come here!” We went into his office, and he said, “Look around.” This entire wall, full of music and books and scores and records. [He] gave me the key so I [could] go in there and just study everything that was in his room. I spent years, I think, in his room. 

LC: That’s incredible. 

KW: Essentially, just going through stuff. And that’s when I said, “Why, I’ve got to do something here!” And then I came across Althea Waites’s album that had the Florence Price recording on it, and many other composers. So I said, “Okay, I’m going to do one of my doctoral lecture recitals on a composer.” I chose Adolphus Hailstork. And we got to have a lot of time interviewing him and learning his music. 

Of course, I was chosen to do his chamber work, a trio for piano, violin, and cello. The last movement was in 11/8. I [was] like, “Look, how am I supposed to count? It’s like an Allegro, 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11, 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11.” And he said, “No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.” I said, “Why did you make this so hard anyway?” That’s how we clicked instantly. “No, it’s 12-12-123-12-12 // 12-12-123-12-12.” I was like, “Oh, okay! All right, I understand it.” We started developing a beautiful friendship. Once I completed my lecture recital, his piano sonata, which is hefty.

LC: Putting it lightly, yes.

KW: That was on one of my lecture recitals. Later on, after I finished my degree, I was lucky to become tenure-track inside the dance department, where I spent my two years accompanying ballet and [teaching] some of the music teaching subjects there. It was then that I won over $55,000 in grant money to record the two albums, Dark Fires.

LC: Beautiful.

KW: Of course, Adolphus Hailstork was on that, Alvin Singleton, Tania León, Ellis Marsalis, and David Baker. The list goes on. That’s all because Dean Patterson came out to me and said, “Come here!” [Laugh]

If you enjoyed this excerpt from Piano Inspires Podcast’s latest episode, listen to the entire episode with Karen Walwyn on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or our website!

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