Name: Dr. Richard Bosworth Instrument(s): Piano Location: Online from Bellevue, WA area Website: www.richardbosworth.org
Background:
DM in Piano – Indiana University, Jacobs School of Music MM in Piano – Indiana University, Jacobs School of Music BM in Piano – Eastman School of Music
My performance schedule has taken me to nearly every major continent in the capacities of a piano recitalist, concerto soloist, chamber musician, recording artist, and competitor.
Some unusual career highlights include a guest appearance at the White House by invitation of President Clinton and a debut of the first interactive music program, “The World’s Largest Piano Lesson,” aired over the Internet at Lincoln Center in 2005. I have also played on live broadcasts from the studios of WQXR (New York), Sirius Satellite Radio (New York), and WGBH (Boston).
On a number of occasions, I have had the privilege of working with conductors, Erich Kunzel (Cincinnati Pops) and Keith Lockhart (Boston Pops), and collaborating with the German baritone, Hermann Prey, in preparation for a series of New York recitals.
Currently, I reside in the Seattle area where my teaching practice has built up an established online presence, specializing in gifted children, pre-college, advanced students, and adults. It is equally rewarding to see that some former pupils have gone on to pursue major careers in solo and ensemble work as well.
I bring to every lesson unique insights as an academician and concert pianist; fostering an appreciation for the creative aspects in music and its language of communication are at the heart of my instruction.
I am a Fazioli Artist. For more information, please visit my website, www.richardbosworth.org.
Greatest inspiration:
PIANISTS – Martha Argerich, Murray Perahia, Yuja Wang, Daniel Barenboim
VIOLINISTS – James Ehnes
VOCALISTS – Renee Fleming, Kiri Te Kanawa, Hermann Prey
ORCHESTRAS – Berlin Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony Orchestra
TEACHERS – Balint Vazsonyi, Barry Snyder, Michel Block, Josef Gingold, Gyorgy Sebok, Menahem Pressler
Favorite place to perform:
The White House, Lincoln Center, WGBH Boston, WQXR New York, Sirius Satellite Radio, online for WGBR Silver Music Series, events at local private residences, Seattle Piano Players (a Meetup group), and for my students during studio recitals.
Live Performance:
Lincoln Center Debut – Scriabin Nocturne for the Left Hand (Encore)
Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1, Mvt. I (Slovak Sinfonietta w/ Harrison Slater)
Forte is built to accommodate all different levels of hardware setup – from just your laptop to something much more elaborate. As you will see, Richard is a 5 out of 5 on our basic to elaborate scale! He has invested heavily in some amazing hardware, demonstrating that Forte can support even the most technologically sophisticated online lesson studios.
Watch a video walk-thru of Richard’s Office Studio.
This is the equipment I use for teaching in 2 studios (office and home) with similar setup configurations:
M1 MacBook Pro 16” (spec’d out)
M2 MacBook Air 13.6” (spec’d out)
M1 iPad Pro 12.9” (spec’d out)
Apple Pencil
2 Samson G-Track Pro Mics (built-in 1-channel mixer)
Blue Yeti Pro mic (with XLR outputs)
5 Logitech HD webcams (3 C922’s, 1 C920, 1 Brio)
2 remote controlled ring lights
3 Sony monitoring headphones
boom and gooseneck stands for overhead shots
multiple sizes of tripods for different camera angles (including the pedal)
Fazioli F183 grand piano
Yamaha NU1X AvantGrand piano
several Yamaha P90 stage pianos
OBS (Open Broadcaster Software) for virtual directing
Elgato Stream Deck for quick changing of scenes
3 Anker USB hubs
Reflector 4 mirroring software (used to connect an iPad wirelessly to the laptops)
What’s great about teaching on Forte?
Forte Lessons is the only conferencing platform that works consistently well, and the audio has an astonishing ability to capture the subtleties of tone production. In fact, the sound is CD quality when the internet is cooperating. It’s really like being in the same room with the student! In addition, the video is equally satisfying to the eye with its sharp visuals when screen sharing from other devices. Many thanks to the entire staff (administration, engineers and tech support) for making online instruction such a pleasure! I can’t wait to see what’s in store for the future!
Tell us a bit about your teaching style:
Creating an environment which fosters a deep appreciation and love for music is at the central focus of my lessons. I take a holistic point of view and tailor each session to fit individual learning styles. It gives the student a sense of security and instills confidence to embrace challenges. I also want the whole experience to be a joyful one, full of meaning; dedication and commitment on everybody’s part play a big role here.
Tell us what you like most about your experience as a music educator:
I like being able to nurture critical thinking in people. Getting someone to the stage where they can make informed decisions about their musical studies is incredibly rewarding.
A piece of repertoire I love to teach:
I love teaching the Liszt Concert Etude, “Un Sospiro,” because it allows me to show the student how to be creative with fermatas. These are areas where the performer can improvise a short cadenza to bridge or transition smoothly to another section of the piece.
A piece of repertoire I love to play:
I never get tired of playing the Ravel “Gaspard de la nuit” and the Chopin “3rd Sonata in B Minor.” These are in the category of “Desert Island” compositions for me. Other favorites are Gryaznov’s arrangement of the “Nocturne” from the Borodin 2nd String Quartet, Rachmaninov “Preludes (Op. 23 and 32)”, and the 18 Song Hits of George Gershwin. Some of those transcriptions of Art Tatum’s “Ain’t Misbehavin’” and “Take the ‘A’ Train” are pretty good, too! In addition, I do my own renditions of Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy” (made into a Lullaby) or the “Navy Hymn” (written as a 4-voice Fugue).
Fun fact:
I relate to all things nature! At one time, I was even into free rock climbing, but that’s too dangerous at my age now. Traveling is also loads of fun and I never lose a beat with my teaching. As long as there is a “piano in every port” and internet, I continue with “business as usual” while enjoying the change of scenery. Just last September I went camping in Tennessee and this past February, I was in Florida visiting friends.
In the artist’s own words:
“There’s always enough TIME to make MUSIC.” I constantly remind my students of this!
