Arlene has been a blessing for my studies at Brown. From the first moment where she reached out to me about joining AMP before even matriculating, I was exhilarated, and she was one of the reasons I joined Brown, because I felt valued, I felt like I belonged even before being on campus.
Having played a mainly “Western” repertoire growing up, AMP was my first chance to explore pieces of piano literature less known to Western audiences, especially Turkish compositions. And Arlene not only allowed me, but supported me to explore this repertoire and express my love for the culture I grew up in. Especially when I performed “Black Earth” by Fazil Say, I remember she was against me using the con sordino technique to dampen the piano strings by touching them and damaging them with my finger oils, but still never prevented me from performing this wonderful piece. She made me feel at home, she enabled me to express my love for home and share it with others.
I am incredibly glad I was stubborn enough to take Advanced Musicianship in the last semester she was teaching it, even when it was my 5.5th class. She was a tour de force, and the love of learning she instilled in me through her love of teaching is unforgettable. She brought up our souls, and focused on our growth, even at the most difficult times.
As someone who was never formally my professor, Arlene touched my life more than I expected, more than any professor I had. I was hard to be an international student in a new country, trying to understand how to continue my love for music. And she made it all possible. I wish I told her all this. How she helped me grow. How she made me the person I am. I am still holding onto her gifts of the sheet music from Turkish pianists, Grieg and Bach’s Piano Concertos, a Dictionary of Musical Terms, and the exquisite glasswork of Hurrem Sultan, the wife of arguably the most influential Ottoman emperor.
May her kind soul rest in peace and light. I cannot thank her enough. I would love to be able to join the celebration of her life on Sept. 30th from afar, please let me know if that would be a possibility.
Kindest regards,
Alp Koksal ’22