We are pleased to present Dr. Stephen W. Sachs and Carolyn R. Sachs of Sachs Piano Duo for this month’s virtual Music in the City, filmed in the galleries of Piercing the Inner Wall: The Art of Dusti Bongé.
Dr. Stephen W. Sachs, pianist, is Professor Emeritus at Belhaven University where he was Music Chair from 2004-2019 and Dean of Fine Arts from 2015-2017. He was Professor of Music at Eastern Mennonite University in Harrisonburg, VA, serving from 1978-2004. Sachs is a versatile pianist having performed as soloist multiple times with the Mississippi Symphony Orchestra (MSO), as duet pianist with his wife Carolyn R. Sachs (The Sachs Piano Duo), as a founding member of the Diamond Trio with violinist Shellie Brown Kemp and cellist Veronica Parrales (The Diamond Trio is a member of the Mississippi Commission of the Arts’ Artist Roster), as an orchestral pianist with the MSO for the past 15 years, and as a solo pianist who has performed and competed internationally. He has also appeared as soloist with the Richmond Sinfonia, Youngstown Symphony, Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival Orchestra, the Jackson Metropolitan Chamber Orchestra, the Eastern Mennonite University Symphony, the Cumberland Valley Chamber Orchestra, and the Ohio University Symphony Orchestra.
In Mississippi Dr. Sachs has offered countless performances at area colleges and universities. He has performed for St. Paul’s Episcopal Church Chamber Music Series in Meridian, the St. Andrew’s Episcopal Cathedral “Music in the City” series, the University of Southern Mississippi, for the Mississippi Symphony Orchestra Chamber Series, and for the MacDowell and Chaminade Music Clubs. Dr. Sachs frequently adjudicates competitions and festivals including the NFMC Ellis Duo Piano Competition and the Gladys Norris Piano Competition at JSU. He has taught hundreds of university level pianists of whom many have completed advanced degrees in music and are active as performers and teachers today. Dr. Sachs especially enjoys performing music by Mozart, Chopin and Debussy as well as music by contemporary composers including Schoenfield, Piazzolla, Bolling, and friend and colleague Dr. Andrew Mark Sauerwein. He earned a D.M.A. degree in Piano from The Catholic University of America studying with Dr. Thomas Mastroianni, the M.M. degree in piano from Ohio University as Trisolini Fellow studying with Richard Syracuse, and a B.A. degree in music and a B.S. degree in music education from Lebanon Valley College studying with Williams Fairlamb. Dr. Sachs has coached with Horatio Gutierrez, Lili Kraus, Raymond Lewenthal, Garrick Ohlsson, and Gyorgy Sebok. Sachs is Director of Music Ministries for Covenant Presbyterian Church (EPC) where he is organist and directs the Covenant Choir and Men’s Chorus.
Carolyn R. Sachs, pianist, former adjunct instructor at Belhaven University, taught piano, popular music, music history, and piano pedagogy. As a duo pianist with her husband, Stephen, she has appeared with the Eastern Mennonite University Symphony playing Saint-Saens and Mozart, the Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival Orchestra playing Bach, and the Mississippi Symphony Orchestra as an orchestral pianist. She received the Master of Music degree in piano from Ohio University studying with Dr. Eugene Jennings, and the Bachelor of Arts degree in music from Lebanon Valley College studying with William Fairlamb. Mrs. Sachs is a member of Jackson’s Chaminade Club. She frequently adjudicates at area piano festivals and serves as a church musician at Covenant Presbyterian Church (EPC) of Jackson, MS. The Sachs have 4 grown children and 13 grandchildren; they enjoy sailing and movies.
Music in the City is a monthly series presenting live performances of classical and traditional artists and is generously sponsored by St. Andrew’s Episcopal Cathedral. Watch this performance on the Museum’s Facebook or YouTube page (@msmuseumart).
