HAMILTON – Vivien Harvey Slater, of Poolville, has been playing the piano since she was six years old. After 82 years, the renowned concert pianist is someone all music students can look up to.
“We all aspire to play as beautifully as Vivien Harvey Slater does,” said Anita Humer of Sherburne. The public, and especially young listeners and piano students, are encouraged to attend a free concert that will be held at 3 p.m. on Saturday at the First Baptist Church in Hamilton.
During the concert, titled “Imaginative Listening,” Slater will include two of the many compositions that she has written during the years. “Tanglewood Tales” is based on Greek Mythology and will be accompanied by a narrative written by Nathaniel Hawthorne. “Birds of a Feather” depicts different types of birds and will include poetry written by Slater’s late husband Dr. Joseph Slater, a professor of American literature at Colgate University. Humer will accompany Slater during the performance.
“Her artistry is truly majestic and refined,” said Humer. “Many of us have heard her play when she was the Artist-in-Residence at Colgate University for over 30 years, and were continually thrilled.” Slater’s musical learning began under the tutelage of her mother at the age of six. Her talent was obvious from the start. She went on to study under Viennese pianist Theodore Leschetitsky and at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music with Severin Eisenberger.
Throughout her career, Slater has performed with the New York Philharmonic as well as at countless locations throughout the United States and Europe. “She is renowned as the finest artist, not only in the area, but all around,” Humer said of Slater.
The concert will be sponsored by Colgate’s English Department and Upstate Institute. “For those that know her, this would be the time to come out and support her,” said Humer. “It will be a concert not to miss.”