ON AN OVERGROWN PATH from pianist Jennifer Elowsky-Fox features music by composers Leoš Janáček and Larry Thomas Bell. Her performances have been described in print as “buoyant”, “fun,” and “gorgeous in all respects,” all sentiments that resonate in this Navona Records release.
Today, Jennifer is our featured artist on the “Inside Story,” a blog series exploring the inner workings and personalities of our composers and performers. Read on to learn about her fascination with the human psyche and how she discovered that there are many paths to excellence…
Tell us about your first performance.
When I was a young child, before my family had a piano, we had an AutoHarp, which is an instrument with strings and padded buttons you could press to make chords. I figured out by ear how to play the chords for Kumbaya. Our neighbors, who were Catholic, decided to have a Mass in their home. They invited me to play and sing Kumbaya. That was my first public performance. Age 7.
If you weren’t a musician, what would you be doing?
I am pretty sure I would have gone into psychology if I had not become a musician. Human relations and the human psyche have always fascinated me. I think there is a lot of overlap between music and human emotion. Music has the power to invoke a wide range of emotions. It has the power to comfort, inspire, and even horrify. These human aspects of music have motivated me my whole life.
What emotions do you hope listeners will experience after hearing your work?
The music on this album is filled with deep emotion including joy, triumph, playfulness, but also grief, melancholy and deep longing. I hope listeners will feel a similar type of understanding and comfort that this music has given me. Music has a way of penetrating where words fail. I hope the soothing nature of these compositions comes through.
How have your influences changed as you grow as a musician?
As I have encountered more and more musicians in my life and taught many many pianists, I’ve come to realize that there is not “one way” to excellence. There are many different approaches that can lead to mastery. I have discovered and developed one way of playing the piano, but there are many others. I think every musician finds their own way by the melding of many different teachers and techniques.
How do you prepare for a performance?
I really enjoy practicing, so I find a way to spend as much time with the music as possible, without “over practicing” or becoming redundant. I also do a lot of visualization away from the piano, particularly when working on music I am performing from memory. As part of my self-care I practice yoga and other therapeutic exercises to stay functional and balanced. When performance anxiety enters the scene, I find success with breathing exercises.
What musical mentor had the greatest impact on your artistic journey?
My piano professor at Central Michigan University, Barbara Dixon continues to have the most influence on me today. We are still great friends. Her teaching and approach to pedagogy was so creative it blew my world open. She reminded me that music has an emotional component, which is supremely important to expression. The use of metaphor was highly encouraged. In my own teaching and practicing her open-mindedness and verve for experimentation are always present. I am so lucky I had her influence on a delicate point in my musical life.
Is there any wisdom they’ve imparted onto you that still resonates today?
Memorization was huge with Barb. It is a difficult topic wrought with anxiety for many pianists. Her approach has helped me to continue to see the value in memorization, and to help my own students memorize their own music. Also, she taught me the value of appreciating the differences in everyone. As teachers it is our responsibility to search for that thing that will help every individual student. There is no “one size fits all” approach.
Berklee professor and pianist Jennifer Elowsky-Fox has performed for many years in Boston, where her exciting performances have brought audiences to their feet. Her playing has been described in print as “buoyant,” “fun,” and “gorgeous in all respects.” A devoted friend to her contemporaries, she has championed composers and engaged fellow musicians with whom she has performed.
