I ENTERTAINMENT

The Sound
Of Music

GOING PLACES

DETROIT PISTONg-
The Palace, 3777 Lapeer Rd.,
Auburn Hills, today vs.
Cleveland Cavaliers, Sunday va.
Sacramento Kings, admission.
377-8200.
BOAT, SPORT AND
FISHING SHOW
Pontiac Silverdome, now through
Sunday, admission. 373-1700.
CITY OF SOUTHFIELD
CivieQgnter Pavilion, Chines
Dra -*Acrobats and Magiciair
of T ei, today, admission.
35
FOUNDE R
COUNCIL
Detroit Institute of Arts, 5200
Woodward, Chinese New Year
Celebration, today, admission.
833-7966.

Catherine Rollin composes music in her Bloomfield Hills home.

STEVEN M. HARTZ

Jewish News Intern

S

ince the day she was born,
Catherine Rollin's life has
been filled with the sound of
music. "There was always
music around our house,"
said Rollin. "Whenever we had com-
pany at our house, we would all
gather around the piano; my mother
played the piano, while my father
fiddled the violin; and my sister, Wen-
dy, and I would sing?'

When Rollin was four years old,
she attempted to master the art of
piano playing on her own, playing
many children's songs by ear. At five,.
she was able to play Beethoven's "Fur
Elise," also by ear. Two years later, at
the age of seven, Rollin began to study
piano, and when she was 10, she ap-
peared on Rita Bell's television show,
"Starlit Stairway," where she cap-

tured the hearts of many television
viewers as she played "Rushing
Rivers," a virtuoso show piece by
Myra Adler.
Rollin continued to receive special
recognition for her piano playing
skills all through elementary and
secondary school. Then it was off to
the University of Michigan where she
received a Bachelor of Music Arts
degree with distinction in piano.
Rollin then studied with concert
pianist, Flavio Varani, at Oakland
University and received a Master of
Music degree in piano performance.
"Cathy's a wonderful musician,"
Varani said. "The years that she
studied with me were very interesting
and pleasurable?'
Varani attributed Rollin's success
to versatility and explained, "She is
able to find the most direct means of
expressing herself musically. She
doesn't sit and wait for something to
happen; she goes after it. There is no

Glenn Triest

bigger pleasure for a teacher than to
know his former pupil is using infor-
mation from her education to propel
herself to a career and is doing well.
She has made me proud."
A resident of Bloomfield Hills,
Rollin performs locally, writes music
for commercials, composes pieces
published for national distribution to
music stores and teaches children
piano.
"I've taught piano for .12 years:'
Rollin said. "Teaching piano was once
my full-time job, and now it has
become more of a part-time job due to
my other musical endeavors. I love
teaching children because they are
malleable. I can have a big influence
on them and have an impact on the
direction in which they are going to
take."
"She isn't the stereotypical piano
teacher who taps a ruler on the piano
and hits the student's hands when he
miscounts:' said Lori Sherman, a

THEATER

tRY AND
1111411
, ,.
13077-MLLE THEATRES
Wayne' St. University, Detroit,
Romeo and Juliet, today and
Saturday; Wild Honey, now
through March 4; The Scarlet
Pimpernel, Thursday through
April 15; When the Jumble Bird
Calls, (Bonstelle, 3424 Woodward)
today through Sunday, Feb. 3-5,
admission. 577-2972.
BIRMINGHAM THEATRE
211 S. Woodward, Birmingham,
Stepping Out, now through Feb.
5, admission. 644-3533.
MEADOW BROOK THEATRE
Oakland University, Rochester, I
Ought to be in Pictures, today
through Sunday, admission.
377-3300.
PERFORMANCE NETWORK
408 W. Washington, Ann Arbor,
On the Verge, or the Geography of
Yearning, now through Feb. 12,
admission. 6630681.
STAGECRAFTERS
415 S. Lafayette, Royal Oak, The
1940's Radio Hour, now through
Sunday, admission. 541-6430.
JEWISH COMMUNITY
CENTER
6600 WI Maple, West Bloomfield,

Continued on Page 65

THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

59

RTC,

Making music
is one of this
Detroiter's
favorite things.

'KTTPPTA T\TVIPKTT

WEEK OF
JAN. 27-FEB. 2