Usually arranged in combination with recital and orchestral appearances, pianist
Barbara Nissman has toured and given master classes throughout the United
States, Europe, the Far East, New Zealand, Russia and South America.
In April '98, Ms. Nissman was
invited by the Moscow Conservatory for concerts and master classes on Prokofiev;
she also presented master classes at the St. Petersburg Conservatory.
She is a frequent guest artist at many American and
European universities (most recently at the
Royal Academy of Music in London and
at Canterbury University, New Zealand). She has also presented two-week master
courses for pianists and teachers at the Federal University in Salvador, Brazil.
Master Class: Steinway Society, West
Valley College, California
Barbara Nissman's
Master Class
The Master Piano class
on Friday night, led by internationally acclaimed pianist Barbara Nissman, was
an engaging lesson for all who attended. It was a lesson in the traditional
class sense, but for those who never could hope to play, it was an exercise in
listening, examining and responding to the miracles of creative masterpieces.
There are children as
young as six, and also college age, who have sacrificed much time effort and
patience to become both technically and emotionally prepared for the art of
performing. Future audiences will hail their accomplishments - and those who
came Friday night, can say they were there to hear the young masters when they
were still finding their own way.
The educational
opportunity of a master class with Barbara Nissman, is a privilege because it
ties one’s own current musical training into the tapestry of music history. The
event poster for Barbara’s performances quotes a New York critic describing her
as, "One of the last pianists in the grand Romantic tradition of Liszt,
Rachmaninoff, and Rubinstein." A review of her background from the web reveals
an extensive star studded history - almost intimidating. But her presence as an
artist as well as a teacher dispels any doubts about her approachability.
Barbara is not the
kind of master teacher who points the direction outward, with a form to follow
from musical composition alone. She teaches students with an intuitive
understanding of their individual strengths and weaknesses. The talents she is
herself endowed with, are not the only talents she sees or encourages in her
students. She models a lesson according to students’ current needs, rather than
from her own ego. This approach is also shared generously with the audience, and
it’s refreshing. Barbara attracts us to understand what can be learned by
listening by looking at the bigger picture, and to make clear decisions about
each note based on that perspective.
Smiling radiantly
while asking tough questions, Barbara wants to know from both the player and the
listener; where our attention is. Is it on the keys, the historically based
composition, the future, or the form? Is it on perfecting the technical or
searching within to meld our own experience of playing and listening with some
external reality. She engages us to examine all the details, but play and listen
to the whole that is ever so much more than the sum of their parts.
More insight into her
methods can be found in her book entitled, "Bartok and the Piano" which looks as
if it should be required reading for serious pianists. Its mind blowing detail
can also be a model for anyone interested in finding the center of their own
artistic appreciation.
From our small town of
Saratoga to Barbara Nissman, we salute your accomplishments, and thank you for
visiting West Valley College!
West Valley Norseman 2/2005.
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