Too often, mother does know best. Pianist, composer and vocal studies accompanist Reese Revak never would have discovered his love of music were it not for his mom. A music teacher and multi-instrumentalist herself, Mrs. Revak placed her son in front of the piano at age four and made it clear that lessons would be mandatory until he arrived at high school.
Though he protested bitterly for a while, by age nine, something very profound had “clicked” and the young musician realized the piano was where he belonged. His rebellious streak, persisted, though, and landed a 10-year-old Revak in the embarrassing (and parentally forewarned) situation of revealing sockless ankles to a packed crowd at an outdoor performance.
Today, he prides himself on being significantly more open to input. He currently serves as an accompanist and vocal coach at the Curtis Institute of Music, a job he believes is about much more than sight reading. He says, “I feel that the collaborative aspect of accompanying is the most important.”
Now Reese Revak is extending his collaborative spirit into the wider community by co-founding the Philadelphia Opera Collective, a company that aims to bring a new, more down-to-earth style of American opera to the masses.
He's also the co-founder of the Philadelphia Composers' Ink whose mission is "to weave creativity and new music into the fabric of everyday life by providing a supportive and welcoming space for fledgling composers to showcase their work." ...not a million miles away from Revak's own personal mission in life!
http://youtu.be/40GnKppCcC4
Audience Survey: please take a minute or two to fill out a short survey about the show.