From the Archives: Playing Piano at Taliesin
"I believe it was Andy Warhol who said we all have our fifteen minutes in the spotlight. At our Elderhostel program in Phoenix, November, 2000, I had one of the most exciting and memorable four minutes in my life. We were on a field trip to Taliesin West in Scottsdale, Frank Lloyd Wright’s creation that now functions as a school for architects. We were seated in the cabaret of the house and the guide wanted to demonstrate the great acoustics in this room, even though the baby grand piano was tucked into an alcove. He asked if anyone could play. No one volunteered. My repertoire consists of the first four measures of Claire de Lune. So, with a lot of chutzpah, I said, “I do,” and headed for the piano. Serendipity! There was a book of music open to a Bach prelude I had learned 50 years ago.
I cannot describe the sensation I felt as I touched the keys and the music resounded. Bach, Frank Lloyd Wright and me. Ineffable. A truly magic moment. Nothing has equaled this experience.
Thanks to Elderhostel, we have had many peak experiences, like blue-footed boobies in the Galápagos, stargazing in Nevada and seeing how scallops are bred in Newport, Rhode Island.
My husband, Adrian, joins me in congratulating Elderhostel for 30 years of education, adventure and conviviality and wishing you many more."
—Joyce Donen Hirschhorn
Killingworth, Connecticut
This story is excerpted from Elderhostel Odyssey, published in 2005.