Robyn Wells
Hymns, Songs and Spirituals
This collection of sacred music is meant to inspire and elevate the spirit. Well-loved pieces by Bach and Handel to the spirituals of our African-American heritage, from favorite hymns and melodies to modern worship songs.
Born in Washington, D.C., pianist Robyn Wells considers herself a native of Idaho, where she began her musical studies at age six. Her undergraduate years were spent at Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Washington, studying with Dr. Calvin Knapp and Richard Farner; and one year at Moravian College in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, studying with Leander Bien. She graduated with a Bachelor of Music in piano performance from Pacific Lutheran, after which she spent two years on staff there as an accompanist.
Robyn received her Master of Music degree in piano performance from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, where she studied with Dr. Viktor Polonsky. While there, she held an assistantship in accompanying, and established and taught an undergraduate course in piano pedagogy. After graduating, she continued her work as an accompanist in the music department.
For the last eighteen years Robyn has been active as a private piano instructor, and currently maintains a studio of 28 students. She is an active member of the National Federation of Music Clubs and the Music Teacher National Association. Robyn is in her second year as adjunct piano faculty at Albertson College of Idaho in Caldwell, Idaho.
In addition to accompanying and teaching, Robyn remains busy as a soloist. She has performed with the Miami University Symphony Orchestra, has been a featured soloist on community concert series in Idaho, Michigan, Massachusetts, Colorado, and California, has given guest recitals at several universities, and has given performances in Canada, Norway, and Italy. She has participated and won prizes in several piano competitions, including being named as a finalist in the 1998 Award-Debut Competition sponsored by the Ladies Music Club of Seattle. In 1998 and 1999, Robyn spent part of the summer in Siena, Italy, as a participant in the Sessione Senese per la Musica e l'Arte.
For over a decade Robyn has managed and performed her own series of concert tours, which to date have included over 190 engagements throughout the United States. Robyn has five CD recordings: "A Grand Adventure," "A Grand Italian Adventure," "A Grand French Adventure," "A Grand American Adventure" and "Hymns, Songs and Spirituals."
Programming is an art in itself, and choosing music for a program is always a fun challenge.
A program is like a menu: all the components have to fit for it to be satisfying. I always try to start my programs with an "Appetizer" - a piece or two which will immediately make an audience happy they came to the concert. Follow that with the "Main Course" - a sonata, suite, or collection of pieces which are the "meat and potatoes" of the program - the main body around which everything else revolves. There must be several "Side Dishes" - pieces which complement the main course, but which also have enough merit and substance to be enjoyable on their own. And lastly, a "Dessert" - a closing piece which leaves the audience feeling satisfied and which completes the menu by leaving a good taste in the mouth (or ear!) If an audience desires an encore, it should be a light, enjoyable piece which leaves a nice finish.
Classical: Handel