Sally Mosher
President, Piano Spheres
Alan Rich was a good friend to Piano Spheres, as he was to so many contemporary music endeavors. I’ve known him since the days of Betty Freeman’s Music Rooms, beginning in the early ’80’s, and as President of the Piano Spheres board I considered him part of our extended family. It’s possible he missed one concert during our sixteen seasons, but probably no more than that.
Like Leonard Stein and Betty Freeman, Alan Rich was a massive presence in the Los Angeles music scene. In a way, it seemed he was always here. His dazzlingly extensive store of knowledge encompassed both the earliest and the most recent music; opera, symphonic, chamber, choral, solo anything – he was ready for it all, and could also venture into some kinds of pop and world music with his ever-discerning ear.
Alan and I had occasional email exchanges, and in one of our last we agreed that from his current vantage point Leonard Stein – deservedly – was able to screen out all but the best in music. And that’s the afterlife I wish and envision for Alan.
