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Rebecca Oswald is a pianist/composer who currently resides in Eugene, Oregon. She and Joe Bongiorno will be performing at my house on May 3, 2009, and I can’t wait to meet Rebecca after corresponding and working with her for several years. Rebecca composes for a variety of instruments as well as chamber groups and orchestras, for choir and voice, and her music has been performed all over the world. I think you’ll enjoy getting to know Rebecca and her music as much as I have.
KP: I am the most familiar with your piano work, but piano is only one small facet of your musical life. When did you start playing music as a child?
RO: I began playing piano duets with my dad when I was four, and started piano lessons at age six.
KP: How many instruments do you play?
RO: My professional-level instruments are piano and voice. I tinker around with guitar, viola, mandolin, recorders, and percussion, mostly for fun.
KP: Do you often sing your own work or do you mostly write for other vocalists?
RO: I have written art songs and choral works, as well as popular songs for others to sing. I don’t have a pop music voice: I can’t belt, croon, growl, or improvise popular-style melismas. My voice is more suited to classical choral repertoire, art songs, and some kinds of folk music. Since January, I’ve been the soprano section leader at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in Eugene, where we frequently sing sacred classical and early music repertoire in a variety of languages. I love working with languages other than English, both as a singer and as a composer.
KP: Has music always been the driving force of your life?
RO: Yes, always.
KP: Do you come from a musical family?
RO: Yes. When I was a kid, my parents sang in the church choir and my dad sang in a barbershop quartet. My dad played piano by ear, but he was primarily a percussionist. Three of my grandparents played piano; my mom’s mom was a concert pianist and piano teacher. Three of my great-grandparents played too.
KP: Did you grow up in Oregon?
RO: I was born in Oklahoma City. I lived there nearly nine years, then six years in Denver. In my teens, my family moved to northwest Houston. I came to Eugene in 1998.
KP: Where did you go to college?
RO: In 1998 I earned my BMus summa cum laude from Westminster Choir College of Rider University in Princeton, New Jersey. I majored in music theory and composition, my principal instrument was piano, and I minored in voice. In 2001, I completed my MM at the University of Oregon School of Music, where I majored in composition.
KP: Do you teach?
RO: No. Teaching is not my passion, and I don’t look for students. A few have found me, studied for a season, then gone off to do their thing.
KP: I find it fascinating that you are Music Director for The Tango Center in Eugene. What does that involve?
RO: <grin> I play for the dancers there a few times a month. Sometimes I play solo; occasionally I’ll put together a duo, trio, or quartet. I write out the charts rather than have a jam session. I started playing tango piano three years ago. I had been dancing tango for about a year at that time, getting it in my body. It is fun to play both golden age Argentine tango and modern “alternative” tango music for dancers. Dancers love having good live music to dance to! I've recorded one of my alternative tango arrangements, “Claro de Luna,” and it's available on iTunes.
KP: You are the fastest and most accurate sheet music transcriber I’ve worked with. Is transcription something you enjoy?
RO: Wow, thank you! Well, I’ve always had good ears and an ability to translate what I hear onto paper. I also have a good eye for how professionally published music should look on the page. Since 1980 I’ve transcribed countless songs for various purposes. I’ve been using Finale notation software since 1994. I started doing piano transcriptions for WSPR {Whisperings Solo Piano Radio} pianists last summer, after telling David Nevue that I was looking for extra work and that I was capable and qualified to transcribe. He suggested I publicize my availability to the WSPR list. Since then I’ve gradually built up a base of satisfied customers. Transcription is not as much fun as creative pursuits, but it allows me to work at home in music, for which I’m happy and grateful. It has also opened the door to many new friendships and professional alliances, and that’s been wonderful.
KP: What are some of your other musical pursuits?
RO: On the side, I occasionally do production or orchestration work. In 2003, I orchestrated an independent feature film (“Westender”). The composer gave me his MIDI files and I turned them into score and parts for the orchestral recording session. I’ve also done a fair amount of audio editing and studio production, not just for my own projects,
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