By day, she's University provost, the chief academic officer on campus. But when Condoleezza Rice sits at the piano, all thoughts of work disappear. "You cannot think about both Brahms and work at the same time. I love that feeling of being transported to another place," says Rice, who started playing at age 3 and planned a career as a concert pianist before discovering political science as a junior in college.
Rice was one of a dozen professors to perform in the Stanford Music Guild's Faculty Talent Show in January, which honored the 50th anniversary of the music department. There were trombonists Jim Gibbons (longtime dean of engineering) and Brad Osgood (math professor), and a classicial quintet that included violist Paul Brest (law school dean) and cellist Walter Hewlett (director of Stanford's Center for Computer-Assisted Research in the Humanities).
So how did they get to Dinkelspiel Hall? Practice, practice, practice. Rice devotes six hours a week and takes lessons with music Associate Professor George Barth. Brest tries to play every day and juggles his travel schedule so as not to miss his Wednesday string quartet rehearsals.
