’80s Pre-College Alums Reunite

"In the same room where many of us first experienced orchestral giants like Brahms, Mozart, and Beethoven, decades later we relished Nimrod and Siegfried Idyll with our beloved old friends. There was not a dry eye in the room."

By Kristen Linfante
It started with a single photograph. In the throes of the pandemic, Ben Hong (Pre-College ’87, cello) shared a picture on Facebook of me and a beloved Pre-College friend, Roger Riccomini (Pre-College ’85; BM ’89, MM ’91, trombone). I had never seen the photo, and it was especially poignant since Roger had passed away in 2002. Within minutes, other Pre-College alumni from the 1980s spotted the photo, and by the next day masses of former students had reconnected. With endless amounts of time on our hands, we organized a virtual reunion. We had more than 100 attendees Zoom in from around the world including students, faculty, and staff, along with our beloved matriarch, Olegna Fuschi (Diploma ’58, piano), who sat at the helm of the Pre-College Division from 1976 to 1988 while dually serving on the piano faculty. The call lasted hours as we reminisced about those precious, developmental years while providing updates about our lives. We shared laughs, tears, and emotional stories of how Pre-College had affected us. Most agreed that those formative years were the most profound years for personal development and growth.

As our Zoom call ended, I promised to organize an in-person reunion once the pandemic passed. With the help of the Pre-College staff and the Alumni Office, our in-person reunion happened just before Thanksgiving. A top priority, we’d said, was that we would play together again, so we carved out time for both an orchestral reading (in Room 309!) and for chamber music reading. We joked that for the first time ever, Room 309 had become a “judgment–free zone” where professionals and non-professionals sat side-by side in an emotional reunification led by our childhood mentors on the podium, Roger Nierenberg (MM ’79, orchestral conducting; faculty 1978-84) and Ronald Braunstein (BM ’78, orchestral conducting; faculty 1984-86). In the same room where many of us experienced the orchestral giants like Brahms, Mozart, and Beethoven for the first time, decades later we relished every note we played of Nimrod and Siegfried Idyll with our beloved old friends. There was not a dry eye in the room. Chamber music readings were equally touching. Pianists shared laughter and memories playing piano four-hands and eight-hands, and groups formed decades ago played together again. 

Another highlight was a school tour. It was fascinating to see all that had changed while sharing “back in our day” stories with our student tour guides. The tour culminated at the library where we were greeted by our beloved Jane Gottlieb, now vice president for library and information resources and director of the C.V. Starr Doctoral Program. Though we were shocked that the carpet was no longer lime green, all still agreed the library holds a special place for us. It was a habitat for answers and discovery, inspiration and growth. It held important pieces of history while providing the resources to propel us well into the future. While recordings aren’t played on the old built-in turntables anymore, the wonderful, familiar scent of books and music still permeates the space. 

Memories of joyful, inspiring times were shared, but some also recounted battles with imposter syndrome while at Juilliard as they questioned their own value and deservedness to be at such an elite school. Others shared that their decision to pursue a career outside of music caused them to question whether they still “belonged” in a world they knew and loved so dearly. For many, the reunion was a catharsis. We walked through those doors just as we did 30-plus years earlier, only this time we carried something more—the knowledge that there is joy and courage and growth in sharing one’s vulnerability and humanity with others. The community we created decades ago is as strong as ever, and on this day each of us was reminded that we do belong—we always have and we always will. 

Kristen Linfante (Pre-College ’85; BM ’89, MM ’91, viola), who specializes in modern and baroque viola, is the executive director of Chamber Music Pittsburgh

>Want to share your Pre-College memories? Send them to [email protected].