I've  been in love with the piano since I was tall enough to reach the keys of my grandmother's old upright.  When I was ten years old, my choir-director father, finding himself without a pianist, drafted me at the last moment; thus began my life as a church musician!

Over the past 45 years I've played organ and directed choirs in a variety of religious denominations.  I've also worked as a pianist for private parties and wedding receptions.  While living in Jackson, Mississippi, I regularly played for holiday festivities at the governor's mansion; one evening I glanced up to see President George H. W. Bush passing by on his way to the receiving line.  He flashed a brief smile:  "Nice job!"  Another memorable experience was performing during a private dinner for Vice President Al Gore.

Perhaps the most powerful musical experiences have been the unexpected:  playing for a worship service in rural Scotland; trying out the organ in a medieval  English church; singing ancient chants with monks at an isolated mountain  monastery.

  And, yes, I love to travel:  twenty-plus trips to the UK and continental Europe (twice to  Russia), coming     face-to-face       with my love of  European history.  So . . .