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Condoleezza Rice made her mark on world history as national security adviser, then U.S. Secretary of State, during George W. Bush's presidential administration, but foreign policy is not her only area of expertise.
Rice's influence will be felt closer to home this week when she performs as a concert pianist to raise money for the Utah Symphony's Deer Valley Music Festival. She will collaborate with the Muir Quartet, which presents the Emerging Quartets and Composers Program in Utah with eminent composer Joan Tower each summer and serves as the Deer Valley Music Festival's resident chamber ensemble.
Rice was born in 1954 in Birmingham, Ala. She rose above the racial segregation of the time, becoming at age 10 the first black student admitted to study at the Birmingham Southern Conservatory of Music.
Later, after her family moved to Colorado, Rice won her first musical competition with a performance of Mozart's D Minor Piano Concerto, later performing with the Denver Symphony Orchestra. Music was Rice's first college major at the University of Denver, where she developed an interest in foreign policy.
She earned a master's degree in political science from the University of Notre Dame in 1975. During the high-profile political career that followed, she continued to make music an important part of her life, performing at diplomatic events and in support of charitable causes. She wasn't available for comment in this story, but her friend and musical collaborator, Muir Quartet cellist Michael Reynolds, spoke to The Tribune about Rice's musicianship and avid support of arts education.
Rice has previously collaborated with the Muir Quartet to support the Montana Chamber Music Festival, the Fredericksburg Festival of the Arts, and Classics for Kids, a foundation that provides musical instruments for schools around the nation.
"[Rice] is one of the most warm and brilliant people I've ever met, and incredibly generous with her time," Reynolds said. "She's a very busy lady, and for her to give freely of her time to do good works such as this is a testament to her good nature."
Reynolds said Rice could have been a professional pianist, but foreign policy interested her more. "My understanding is that she always finds time to practice a little every day to stay in shape, and did that in Washington as well," Reynolds said. "Music for her is a real release. Not an escape, because playing music is always a very difficult thing — but a way to send her mind to a place she truly loves."
Rice will perform selected movements from Dvorák's Piano Quintet No. 2 in A major with the Muir Quartet and will team with Muir violist Peter Zazofsky for the second movement of Brahms' D Minor Violin Sonata.
Concert proceeds will benefit the festival's educational program, specifically the Emerging Quartets and Composers program. It's unique in that it supports young quartets at a crucial, vulnerable stage in their careers, Reynolds said.
The salon appearance at the Stein Eriksen Lodge sold out almost immediately after the benefit was announced. It's expected to net more than $100,000 for the Emerging Quartets and Composers program, said Carey Cusimano, the festival's vice president of development.
Musical diplomacy
P Former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, a classically trained pianist, will join the Muir Quartet in chamber music of Dvorák and Brahms.
Where • Stein Eriksen Lodge
When • Friday, Jan. 14, at 5:45 p.m.
Admission • The performance, a benefit for the Deer Valley Music Festival, summer home of the Utah Symphony, is sold out and has a long waiting list.