We performed the final “Concert to Conquer Kidney Cancer” of our 2015 tour this afternoon in Boulder, CO, at the Boulder Piano Gallery.

Friends and family comprised most of the audience. Marty Williams and Brenda’s daughter Erin Green arrived with refreshments. They set a beautiful table with an Italian theme, so we put all of our red white and blue carnations and daisies in vases near us on the stage. We took advantage of the 4th of July weekend from the get go with our flags and hats for the Yankee Doodle medley in the styles of Bach, Beethoven, Chopin, and Debussy.

Marty was Brenda’s next door neighbor growing up in Emporia, KS.

Franny Ashby Gabrielson was there with her husband, Dick, a former pilot who was reminded of how challenging it was to fly in and out of Boston. They live in Lyons CO, about 20 miles from Boulder. Brenda and Marty last saw Franny in 1957, but of course they all recognized each other immediately. Franny told us that she has read ALL of our blog posts! Franny played the violin in the same youth symphony as Brenda when they were students at the elementary school on the campus of the teachers college in Emporia (now Emporia State University). Franny was also a serious piano student. She and Brenda each gave a solo piano recital in the Music Hall auditorium in high school.

The pianos were positioned side by side on the stage instead of nesting. We really liked that. In addition, the pianos were both fantastic instruments — Brenda played the Schimmel and I played a Shigeru Kawai. In Raleigh, Brenda played an equally brilliant Schimmel. Neither of us had ever heard of the Shigeru Kawai, but it was the “easiest” piano I’ve ever played — so totally responsive.

Our audience was appreciative and generous, and very interested in Action to Cure Kidney Cancer (ACKC).