Q. How has growing up in a musical family influenced you as a musician?

A. I was so fortunate to have been born into the Compinsky family and was surrounded with music constantly, especially chamber music. My father Manuel was a violinist, his sister Sara, a pianist, and brother Alec, a cellist. As children, they formed the Compinsky Trio and performed in London where they grew up, gave a command performance for the Royal family, and played throughout Europe before coming to the United States in the 1920s. They continued to perform and did weekly coast-to-coast live radio broadcasts for the Columbia Network. Sara was my piano teacher and when I was 9 years old she asked me to become her page-turner. I attended every performance and learned so much just by watching her. She had a tremendous sense of the geography of the keyboard and could make huge jumps at high speeds while keeping her eyes glued to the score or watching her brothers as they interpreted the music together. My father coached many chamber music ensembles, where I first heard the sound of the oboe. I was charmed by the mysterious and rich tone of the instrument, so when I was 14 years old, I began to study the oboe. I then had the opportunity to play in many different youth and community orchestras. I became a founding member the American Youth Symphony under the direction of Mehli Mehta, where I was exposed to all the big symphonic works. I toured Scandinavia with the Idyllwild Youth Symphony, and later coached the woodwind students at their summer camps. My father also conducted the orchestra at Mt. St. Mary’s College and several other community orchestras, so I played in all of his orchestras as well. This added some extremely rewarding and enriching musical experiences to my background.

Q. Did you observe the Compinsky Trio practicing and did it make an impression on you?

A. I remember hearing my father go over and over a passage and thinking he was the world’s greatest violinist so why did he need to keep going over and over the same passage. Later, I learned the value of repetition and the importance of practicing small fragments for correct notes, fingering and phrasing to get the feel of the music out of context. Once you have mastered these little fragments, you put them together to create a longer phrase that is accurate, lyrical and smooth with the expression you wish to communicate. The Compinsky Trio never argued about musical ideas or interpretation. They had a democratic process that determined that the majority ruled. Whoever was in the minority conceded and trusted that the others had good ideas. They didn’t force their personalities on one another or on the music, but wove a musical tapestry that reflected their interpretation of the composer’s intent.

Q. How are you carrying on the musical tradition of your family?

A. When I was 19, Sara suggested that I start teaching piano to beginners. I remember my first student and how nervous I was, wondering if I knew enough to teach him. My teaching technique has evolved over the years and I’ve become very detail oriented because that’s the way the Compinsky artists taught in order to arrive at the results they strived to achieve. I’ve also developed the ability to identify and diagnose problems, especially with transfer students who have had major gaps in their training. This is hard for many adults because they don’t like being beginners, but once I explain what is missing or what needs to be fixed, they see the value of investing their time, energy and patience in order to progress. I’ve observed that students often forget to listen as they practice. I instruct them to listen carefully to what they’re playing and if they hear something that doesn’t sound right, fix it right then, don’t let it go. Unless preparing for performance, when they are missing notes and don’t stop, it’s a sure sign they aren’t listening. They also need to understand that the ear is the guide to using the pedal correctly. The use of the pedal is a very intricate process, with so many variations and colors available. It is a whole area of study unto itself. I feel that the goal of using pedal must be to create a smooth, blended effect and still maintain as much clarity as possible.

Q. Are there any other ways in which you are carrying on the Compinsky legacy?

A. One project that is very dear to my heart is a re-mastered CD that I produced of The Compinsky Trio performing the Rachmaninov Elegiac Piano Trio No. 2 in D Minor and the Shostakovich Piano Trio No. 2 in E Minor which they premiered on the west coast in 1945. I compiled historical information and photos on each of the Compinskys and the Trio as a whole. The CD was released as a historical recording on Cambria Master Recordings in 2001, the year of my father’s 100th birthday anniversary. Aunt Sara led master classes for her students once a month for many years, where she not only offered her own expert advice, but also probed the audience for our thoughts and impressions of our own performances as well as each other's. We became a tightly knit group that worked well together and looked forward with great anticipation to each inspiring session with her. Later, when Sara’s health prevented her from continuing the class, a core group of her students decided that we would like to carry on this tradition, even without her. So we began looking for other artist leaders to lead our class. And since 1986 we have continued “The Sara Compinsky Master Class” with a different guest leader each month. It is still a very stimulating session and a great outlet for us to perform and polish new repertoire, learn new teaching techniques, and be musically motivated and inspired.

Q. What is your teaching philosophy?

A. My goal is the music and to honor each student’s desire to play the music that inspires and motivates them. I also strive to be patient. Students want to please their teacher and in their eyes, they’re never good enough. If I show them patience, in time they’ll learn to be patient with themselves.

Q. In addition to your piano studio, what are the other aspects of your musical life?

A. I am fortunate to have inherited two beautiful pianos from my father and my aunt and I want to share them. My husband and I have created Mountain Musicales, a concert series performed in our home that features many of our musician friends. We live in a rural area and the community loves to hear fine music in an intimate setting and later enjoy a buffet dinner while socializing. It’s like what I grew up with. What my parents would do for fun was to invite their musician friends over and read through chamber music casually and informally. My mother would put on a buffet and they’d have a big party with chamber music going on all night. One of my fondest childhood recollections is going to bed and hearing the music still going on. Mountain Musicales is a more formal concert format, but it’s kind of an offshoot of what my parents did. The recitals enrich the community and provide a great opportunity for students to hear fine artists, watch their fingers up close on the keys, and talk to them afterwards. They’re able to get ideas about the music they’d like to play and it gives me an idea about the kind of music that inspires them. We have presented artists such as John Novacek, Eduardo Delgado, Alan Gampel, Ayke Agus, Rebecca Penneys, and many other fine pianists.

Q. Have you made any other musical contributions to your community?

A. When I moved to Lake Arrowhead the school district had a small band but no string program and no orchestra. Coming from a string playing family, this was unacceptable to me. (My mother is also a violinist, and is still teaching). I am a board member of the Arrowhead Arts Association and so I appealed to them to help me establish a strings program in the schools. I found a teacher who was good with beginners, got donations of small violins, and initiated an after school program. The first year we had 35 students, the second year it grew to 80, and now we’re up to 150 string players, including students of violin, viola and cello. This project illustrates that the community has a need because the response has been tremendous. I also produce a chamber music concert series for the Association called Concert Master Series. I have presented several of my father’s former students on this series, including concert violinists, Roger Wilkie and Ida Levin. This year I asked Ida to assemble a string quartet for our series. The result was an incredible concert with the caliber of musicians our community seldom has an opportunity to hear.

Q. What does music mean to you?

A. Music is my whole life. There is nothing I would rather be doing or learning or sharing or performing or teaching. I love it all. My goal in music is to become a better teacher and performer and bring more artists to my community to share their talents. The world of music is so vast. So many incredible composers have written fantastic music that can stimulate your intellect and express everything by bringing you through your whole range of emotions. It is a language of its own and to be literate and fluent in that language is a lifetime goal. One of my favorite quotes by Rachmaninoff is, “Music is enough for a lifetime but a lifetime is never enough for music.” That’s exactly how I feel.