Alumni Interview: Anderson & Roe Piano Duo
Anderson & Roe. Photo credit: Lisa Marie Mazzucco.
An interview with Pianofest alumni — Greg Anderson and Elizabeth Joy Roe of Anderson & Roe Piano Duo.
You met at Pianofest, correct?
Liz: We actually met during Freshman Orientation week at The Juilliard School; we were assigned to the same floor in the dormitory! A close friendship and mutual respect quickly developed, and I remember we were both excited to have the opportunity to attend Pianofest together a couple years later. We spent three consecutive summers at Pianofest (2002-2004), and our time there would end up playing a significant role in our lives: not only was it a place of bonding and inspiration (thanks to our fantastic teachers, peers, and audiences), it also set the stage for our piano duo career.
How did the piano duo start?
Greg: Our first piano duo performance ever was at Pianofest in 2002 — we played Brahms’ Haydn Variations. I remember how electric it was when we first sight-read in the living room/teaching studio at the Pianofest house. The piece is notoriously difficult to synchronize exactly, and we were perfectly together. That same innate sense of musical timing (or is it “mind reading”?) has followed us throughout our career; we rarely spend rehearsal time on the basics of ensemble.
Greg Anderson and Elizabeth Joy Roe as students at Pianofest in the Hamptons.
Has the possibility of touring the world as a duo surprised you?
Liz: Neither Greg nor I had ever imagined that we would be in a professional piano duo; we were on the conventional path of building solo careers, and we began playing together just for fun. That said, we each possessed lofty dreams and visions for how classical music could impact the world, and we discovered that our ideals powerfully aligned—this, alongside our friendship, is the glue holding our partnership together.
What's your favorite thing about being a duo?
Greg: Our friendship, hands down. The laughter, the meals (we love to eat!), the delirious plane rides, the shared adventures on stage and off, etc.… Liz brings out the best in me, she challenges me and helps me grow, and she can take the seed of an idea and turn it into something so much better. I’m so lucky to share my career with such a good friend!
Beyond the friendship, I also love that audiences typically have fewer expectations from duo pianists. We aren’t nearly as limited by the straitjackets solo pianists often face; we can get away with much more mischief-making. We now find ourselves busy performing 70-100 concerts a year, composing avant-garde covers of pop music, producing wild music videos (featuring flaming pianos, roller rinks, bugs, mountaintops), and more, all in service of our mission to make classical music relevant and powerful in society.
Upcoming plans?
Liz: The upcoming year is filled with performances worldwide, including the premiere of our latest work for two pianos and orchestra with the Boulder Philharmonic, our duo debut in France, performances of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony in Liszt’s arrangement for two pianos (in honor of Beethoven's 250th year), and special musical mixology concerts featuring our own cocktail recipes served throughout the program. Last fall we spent an entire day, from dawn until nightfall, filming our Hallelujah Variations (based on Leonard Cohen's classic song) on a gorgeous Montana mountainside; once we finish the editing process, we plan to release the music video this spring. We’re also in the early stages of production on a music video featuring the winning submission to our New Music New Video composition competition. On the educational front, we’re teaching an intensive piano duo workshop at the Orford Music Academy this summer. We feel immensely grateful for the support we've been given by our families, colleagues, fans, and of course, our Pianofest family—what a gift to be able to spend our lives sharing the power and joy of music with others!