Toronto Janina Fialkowska's fingers dance across the piano keys and a school auditorium in Wolfville, N.S., fills with the sounds of Beethoven, Chopin and Mozart.
It's the first time the kids have heard live classical music, and it's knocking their socks off. The wide-eyed young audience is immersed in the beauty of the music.
The inspiration
After her concert, excited children clamour around Janina. But one brown-haired boy of about 10 stands back, rooted to the spot, still and staring. Suddenly he rushes forward, throws his arms around her and hugs her with all his might. He says nothing, but looks up at Janina, his blue eyes brimming with tears, and then he trots away. Although that incident occurred more than 10 years ago, "it was an amazing moment I'll never forget," says Janina.
The performance that day was part of Piano Six, her not-for-profit program that brought live classical music to small Canadian communities. Janina never did learn the boy's name or what became of him, but she is sure he still loves classical music. "He really understood its power," she says.
The seed of Piano Six
Janina remembers smiling at the recognition that her brainchild could have such an impact. The seed of Piano Six was planted 30 years ago when Janina, a Montreal native, was working with the great pianist and maestro Arthur Rubinstein. In his Paris living room, Janina saw a silver tray engraved with the names of all the places he had performed in North America.
"There were all these Canadian towns, like Moose Jaw, Chicoutimi and Prince Albert; places I knew I would probably never play," says Janina. By the 1970s, she explains, train service to many outlying towns had been cut, and the alternative -- air travel -- was too expensive for either the artists or the communities to cover. Funding for the arts in schools had been reduced, as well.
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