I first met Arlene when we were students together at Eastman, and was delighted when she showed up in Providence a few years later. Arlene was a friend, a colleague, and perhaps most importantly for me, my piano teacher for many years. So I know first hand just what a spectacular teacher she was – committed, patient, effective even with me, the clumsiest of piano students, and always engaged on a human level. Like many piano students, I could not help but bring my personal life with me to my lessons, and Arlene was a confidant who helped me through more than one difficult moment, calmly hearing me out and then gently steering me back to the study at hand.
Although she seldom played in public, Arlene became a favorite performer for my music. She didn’t like performing much, so few knew how well she could play. Over the years I came to rely on her for first readings, suggestions on difficult passages and, when I could convince her, the occasional public performance. Here she is playing a Prelude I wrote while studying with her and dedicated to her. I will remember and miss her always.
Gerald Shapiro
Professor Emeritus of Music