Two grand pianos sit propped open, ready to be played and take the listener on a journey of sound and image.
Debbi Wyse and Kristi Gautsche will perform “Images for Two Pianos” in Markel Auditorium Saturday and Sunday. The concert will include pieces from Bach to Rachmaninoff to Gershwin, all focusing on imagery.
“The title of our concert is “Images.” The Rachmaninoff suite – the Fantasy Suite – is particularly full of imagery,” Wyse said.
Along with the music, Wyse’s husband Ned will be reciting poetry that accompanies the Rachmaninoff suite. The concert will take the listener not just through on a journey of images but also through music history and around the world.
“There’s some chronology, some music history going from the Baroque to the Contemporary period,” Wyse said. “There’s a little bit of French, a little bit of Russian, a little bit of American, there’s a little bit of German.”
The stage is not the only place you can see the two around Hillsdale. Wyse is a piano instructor and is the accompanist for the choir. Gautsche is a familiar face to residents of Hillsdale. She works full time at Nash Drugs downtown and is the musical director for community theatre at The Sauk in Jonesville. Gautsche also said that she plays for a number of different organizations.
“She’s everywhere,” Wyse laughed.
They have both been playing since a young age: 7 for Wyse and 10 for Gautsche. Both women pursued music in college.
“I just loved it. It was natural. My mom didn’t want me to take lessons because baton didn’t go and tap-dancing didn’t go and she said no you won’t practice and anything you won’t do anything. My grandparents said that they would pay for it. It stuck and I loved it,” Gautsche said.
When Wyse and Gautsche first met, they bonded over two things: a love of music and having husbands who were farmers. The two became friends long before they ever thought of performing together. They attended a concert in Phillips together and were inspired by the performance.
“We finally got together and listened to a duo concert in Phillips Auditorium. We heard them and we were like we could do that. We could have fun doing that,” Wyse said.
Next year will mark their 30th year of playing together. Their first concert was held in Phillips Auditorium in 1985.
This year’s concert will be slightly different than in previous years. With the demolition of Phillips, the concert will be held in Markel. The time of year will also be slightly different than before. The duo is usually scheduled to perform in the middle of January or February. The pair is especially happy that they won’t be playing in the snow.
“We’re really happy we’re not playing in the middle of a blizzard. People always say ‘why do you have to play when there’s a blizzard outside or when we’ve gone to Florida?’” Wyse said. “This is everybody’s chance to come when the weather’s still nice.”
One student is definitely excited to hear them perform. Senior Katrina Bopp has had the opportunity to work with both Wyse and Gautsche on a number of things including accompanying projects and various productions.
“They do music purely for the love of it and for the love for the students. It’s not just a job to them. They’ve performed together for over twenty years, and while it still takes a lot of work, they’re willing to put as much time in it as necessary and they have fun with it. They are a blessing to this school and community and I can’t wait to hear them perform,” Bopp said.
