Join duo pianists Richard Wroncy and Rebecca Wallenborn to explore the anatomy of duo pianism in all of its aspects: the physical and the practical; the historical and the (sometimes) hysterical. They will share their process of preparation, practice, and performance with selected excerpts from ballet and orchestral works including Nicolas Economou’s arrangement of The Nutcracker, and the setting by Charles Griffes of Humperdinck’s Overture to Hansel and Gretel. Intermediate and advanced repertoire choices for performing with your own students include Ann Pope’s arrangement of Borodin’s Polovtsian Dances; Le Matin by Cecile Chaminade; and John Salmon’s lively additions to Bach’s Two Part Inventions.

Richard Wroncy and Rebecca Wallenborn discovered a shared joy for piano collaboration when they performed as the former Hollins Piano Quartet, an ensemble founded by Wroncy, Carolyn Victorine, and Michael Sitton. Exploring original and arranged repertoire for two pianos, eight hands, they were featured in performances throughout southwest Virginia on private and collegiate fine arts series, and also performed at Garth Newel Music Center.

Wallenborn, Hollins class of 1980, received a master’s degree in piano performance from the University of Maryland at College Park where she studied with Roy Hamlin Johnson. An experienced vocal, choral, and instrumental accompanist, she was drawn to collaborative piano by pianist Carolyn Victorine with whom she performed on numerous concert series in the region and appeared with the Roanoke Symphony Orchestra and the former Hollins Piano Quartet. She has been a member of and accompanist for the Roanoke Symphony Chorus. A former piano teacher at Hollins, her private studio includes a variety of students who tolerate and fuel her enthusiasm and passion for musical exploration.  

Wroncy is a graduate of the Eastman School of Music with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in piano performance and literature. With duo pianist Ralph Lambert, he concertized extensively in New York and New Jersey and has appeared with the Lynchburg Symphony and as collaborative pianist with The James String Quartet. A former piano instructor at Hollins and the James River Day School, he currently enjoys gardening, caring for his numerous rescue dogs and enduring practice sessions with Wallenborn.