In Memoriam - Rosie Williams

A very sad day.

Rosie Williams was one of the kindest, sweetest, and quirkiest people I have ever known. I always looked forward to my piano lessons with her while I was in college and I never would have survived the harrowing piano juries and Tuesday afternoon recital performance had it not been for her encouragement and inspiration.

I vividly remember one particular lesson with her. We were working on a problematic section of a piece I was studying. It wasn’t that it was technically too difficult for me; I could play the pitches well enough. But it just came out sounding mechanical without any emotion behind it.

After considering the music and the situation for a minute, Rosie said to me, “Have you seen Schindler’s List?” I didn’t know where she was going with this line of thought, but I replied, “Yes.” She continued,” Do you remember the scene with the little girl in the red coat?” How could I not? Then Rosie asked me what I remembered and, specifically, how it made me feel. After sitting quietly and considering it for a few minutes, Rosie softly said “Make this section feel like that.”

I played through the challenging section again, only this time, it was effortless, expressive, and perfect. When I got to the end, I realized I was crying. And so was Rosie.

God Bless you, Rosie.