Lee Jordan-Anders

My story begins in Muncie, Indiana, where I was born into a family with no particular interest or talent in music. My grandmother's house had a piano in it, but I never could figure out why because no one played it—except me when I went to visit. I played "by ear," then taught myself to read music when a second-grade classmate brought one of her music books with a picture of the grand staff and the corresponding note names on the back cover to school. I saw the picture and figured it out; a whole new world opened up for me.

My maternal grandfather was a science professor at Ball State University, and when it became clear that my interest in music was more than just a passing fancy, he arranged piano lessons for me at the school's preparatory department. I continued my studies with Julia Black, a professor of piano at Georgia State University, when my family moved to Atlanta, Georgia, the year I entered 9th grade. She loved Bach, owned a harpsichord, and performed with Robert Shaw when he conducted Handel's Messiah in its entirety with the Atlanta Symphony—a powerful memory that lingers to this day.

At Northwestern University, where I earned both my Bachelor's and Master of Music degrees, I studied piano with Pauline Lindsey, a student of Artur Schnabel. What a treat to learn Mozart and Beethoven from a pianist with that kind of pedigree! After graduating, I taught in the music department at Old Dominion University for five years before my husband and I moved to Madrid, Spain, in 1980. We stayed in Europe for five years, and I enjoyed the heady experience of concertizing throughout the country. Europe welcomes artists (and pays them!) very differently from this country.

I remember especially four different tours of the Canary Islands where I performed cycles of Brahms, Debussy/Ravel, and Bach/Handel/Scarlatti. The Brahms cycle began with a concert of works for solo piano; the second concert featured three different sonatas for two players (piano + violin, viola, and cello). The third concert included two piano trios. What a treat to play that gorgeous music with such interesting and talented musicians—a Polish cellist, Romanian violinist, and German violist.

When I returned to the United States in 1986 I joined the faculty of Virginia Wesleyan College, where I remain to this day. I teach classes in music theory, aesthetics, and chamber music in addition to applied piano. One of the favorite classes I teach is the "Introduction to Music and Art in the Western World," a class that traces the parallel developments of these two art forms throughout history. My interest in visual art began early in my life, and the resulting concerts I give pairing works of art with music have become very popular.

My first visit to the Eastern Shore was in the late 80s, and my singular recollection of that trip was how totally different this place was (and is!) from the urban areas in which I've always lived. My husband and I began kayaking on the Shore in the 90s, and the worst part of every excursion was when we got back into the car, tired and dirty after 4 or 5 hours on the water, and had to make the long trip back to Norfolk. "Wouldn't it be nice to have a place close-by so we could do this more often, and be home sooner?" I often thought. We bought a piece of property—5 acres of pine trees off Seaside Road near Capeville—in 2000, and we began building our little cottage in 2003. It's a kinetic space that we hope to expand into a permanent residence one day—but for now, we're very happy to enjoy our time and the friends we've made on this side of the Bay.

I pledged early on to give something back to this community that I've come to love, and my work in music has enabled me to do just that. I perform several times a year at the Palace Theatre in Cape Charles, concerts free to the public, gifts to the citizens of the Eastern Shore. I welcome the challenges and new friends I'll make as the next chapter of my musical life unfolds in the fall—Music Director and Conductor of the Orchestra of the Eastern Shore.

Music Director