An older term for Collaborative Pianist, as many of us know, is Accompanist.

My piano teacher for many years, Camille Hayes, was a fan of the late great pianist Gerald Moore; Gerald Moore was a quintessential classical-music accompanist: most consider him to be one of the best accompanists, if not the best. His autobiography ‘Am I Too Loud? The Memoirs of a Piano Accompanist’ features a who’s-who of most respected (classical) singers of his time, whom he performed with; his memoirs include insights into what made him such a great player and accompanist.

From Camille (and from Gerald Moore’s playing, and his book), I learned that the ideal of being a good accompanist is not just playing ‘behind’ someone, it’ a partnership and a collaboration. So in that respect, Collaborative Pianist really is a more descriptive term.

But Accompanist works too, in the sense of accompanying the vocalist(s), instrumentalist(s) or dancer(s), on a musical journey: each person is necessary but not sufficient unto themselves, to make that journey. Everyone needs each other.

I’ve just learned that San Francisco Conservatory of Music (SFCM) includes a department focusing on the Collaborative Pianist discipline. It’s directed by Timothy Bach: https://www.sfcm.edu/study/majors/keyboard/collaborative-piano.

• Not surprisingly, this department has some cross-pollination with the SF Ballet, their accompanists’ group.
• I recently learned that SF Ballet has a workshop to educate pianists to accompanying dancers: https://www.sfballet.org/school-community/adult-programs/adult-ballet-classes/pianist-seminar/

Camille Hayes studied with the famous singer Lotte Lehmann. Timothy Bach mentioned in one of his postings that a goal of his is to gather and annotate old recordings that were made of Lotte Lehmann’s master classes, and use that material in his curriculum. (I don’t know who Ms. Lehmann’s accompanist(s) might’ve been in those sessions.)

A final note about two living (thank goodness!) accompanists: I was fortunate recently to play alongside two marvelous accompanists with the National Children’s Choir:

• Michaela Overall
• Christopher Hewitt

I learned quite a bit from watching and listening to them; both of these excellent players were amazing in their collaborative pianist’s role. I thought also of what Vince Guaraldi had said about the awesomeness of accompanying kids’ choirs.

I got the accompanist’s position via some playing I’d done for Mark Sumner, Music Director at SF Unitarian Universalist Church. Mark had been accompanying with NCC (along with his other and various Directorial tasks) and he was kind to pass the baton along to me. Mark’s been an active musician and director in the Bay Area for many years. The NCC group rehearses and performs right across the street from UUSF (at St. Mark’s Lutheran Church) in Cathedral Hill neighborhood.