From ear to ear A pianist's love affair with song

Blier is a sought-after accompanist for singers like Renée Fleming, Susan Graham, and Cecelia Bartoli, a Grammy Award--winning pianist, a teacher and concert producer, and the cofounder and artistic director of the New York Festival of Song. NYFOS presents intimate, thematic concerts that transcend musical genres, from American song to commissioned works to art songs and popular music. Blier's affinity for songs, too, transcends genres, and he is a gifted interpreter of songs by Sondheim and Schubert as well as Bernstein and the Beatles. He shares his musical journey, from his earliest experiences at the piano to his encounters with some of the greats in music today. Blier writes with passion and wit and shares insights into music making, song interpretation, and what music can mean in a person's life. He deftly weaves the story of his musical life with an account of his life offstage and his battle with a rare form of muscular dystrophy. A candid chronicle of a talented and fearless artist that will appeal to musicians, music students, and music lovers.

A joyful view from an accompanist's piano bench. Blier's delightful, lively, and intimate story about his illustrious career in music is overshadowed throughout by a rare form of muscular dystrophy. Young Steven first learned to play the piano thanks to a xylophone in nursery school and, thanks to being an early "operaholic," became quite good at it, especially sight-reading. He also came out of the closet in college--"like jumping from an airplane without a parachute." Blier set his sights on becoming an accompanist, the "equivalent of being a musical janitor." After college he was fortunate to play for veteran popular singer Martha Schlamme, straddling the worlds of popular and classical music "like someone who plays Brahms and also deals drugs." Classes at Julliard, where he later would teach, sharpened his skills in his early 20s and provided him with a passionate love affair. As a successful cabaret pianist, Blier dabbled with art song, opera, concert opportunities, and debut recitals. Playing for the Young Concert Artists competitions and "childhood idol" Roberta Peters and Patricia Brooks provided additional valuable experience. His career took a huge jump when he and a friend created a concert organization in 1988 that would offer a series of performances, the New York Festival of Song, which is still popular and now issuing recordings. His muscular dystrophy finally required getting a wheelchair, but career-wise he was working regularly with superstar singers like Cecilia Bartoli, a "dazzling virtuoso," Susan Graham, and Renée Fleming. And he met a man, James Russell, who would become his husband. Blier would go on to successfully work with Lorraine Hunt (later Lieberson). The author is excellent at explaining how he puts his performances together, blending song and music, and fits them to the many people with whom he performs. It's a struggle, but Blier still makes music. A memoir that brings music and singing to life. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.