As far as Shannon Hesse is concerned, the best way to play piano is to perform with others.
“It feels like we’re having a conversation,” said Hesse, a regular collaborative pianist for the Young Texas Artists Music Competition. “We can share ideas and play off of each other. That, to me, is far more rewarding than anything else.”
Hesse, also a staff pianist at the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University and the University of Houston Moores School of Music, says she finds accompanying — and encouraging — the emerging musicians who compete with YTA particularly rewarding. It brings together her love for music, teaching, and collaborating with emerging musicians.
“It is a very supportive environment throughout the process and during the competition,” she said. “I tell everybody that the finals event is really just a concert. It’s just for fun. You’ve already won. And that kind of experience, I think, is really special for these students.”
Finding Her Musical Voice
While music has been an important part of Hesse’s life since her childhood in Ohio, she describes her introduction to it as accidental.
“In my family, during the holidays, we would all stand around the piano,” she said. “Music was always a part of our family experiences together.
“And my mom, when we were growing up, felt that it was important that me and my sister know how to play a musical instrument and that we play a sport. We had to do one of each of those to be a well-rounded person.”
As far as figuring out which instrument to play, Hesse has the organist at the family’s church to thank. After letting Hesse experiment with the church organ, she saw real aptitude there and offered to provide piano lessons. Hesse started working with her at age 5 and has been playing piano ever since.
Hesse earned her Bachelor of Music from Westminster Choir College, her Master of Music from Catholic University, and her Doctor of Musical Arts from the Eastman School of Music.
The Joy of Collaboration
But her years at Westminster were especially impactful. That’s where she discovered her talent for accompanying other musicians.
“There were a lot of people who were taking voice lessons,” Hesse said. “It was primarily a singing school, and they did not have enough staff to play piano for everybody’s lessons, so the students had to step up. That was like a part-time job.”
She also played piano for a local children’s choir.
“I played with an orchestra in high school, and I also played solo piano, but when I played piano with singers, and choirs in particular, I thought, wait, I enjoy this so much more than just being on stage by myself.
“I don’t have the kind of personality that wants to be like center stage, I will definitely be up there and share the stage and help support whoever I am up there with.”
A Passion for Teaching
It was also during Hesse’s time as an undergraduate when she discovered another passion: teaching. She studied piano pedagogy, which prepared her to teach others. And in her junior year, she started offering private piano lessons.
“I discovered I really enjoy helping people discover their own ideas and how to implement them,” Hesse said. “When people struggle with something, helping them to understand the puzzle pieces of how to learn — and how to figure out where their struggle is and how to overcome it — is extremely rewarding to me.”
Before taking her current teaching positions, Hesse served on the faculties of Houston Baptist University, Texas Southern University, and Valdosta State University.
Performing with Purpose
In addition to her work as an educator, Hesse is an accompanist for Cantare Houston, a 16-member professional chamber choir. She has performed in several countries and across the United States.
“My favorite thing is that many of those experiences have been with my friends,” Hesse said. “One of those people in particular is Melissa Givens, my dearest friend.”
Givens, a Houston-based soprano and highly versatile artist, has served as a judge at two YTA competitions.
In 2022, Hesse and Givens created a CD, “The Artist at 50,” featuring songs that were written or published when their composers were 50 years old.
Listening Beyond the Notes
Today, after decades of working as a professional accompanist, Hesse is convinced that the key to playing well with other musicians is being able to truly listen to them.
“You have to be able to listen, not only to your part, but to the greater whole,” she said. “On top of that, it’s also anticipating. It’s knowing where people might need extra help or how to support them.”
A Perfect Match
For Hesse, the opportunity to lend her talents as a musical collaborator to YTA has been a perfect fit. Even better, she performs with vocalists, something she’s enjoyed since her undergraduate days.
It’s very meaningful, Hesse added, to witness YTA’s impact on emerging classical musicians.
“I have seen people who have won prize money from YTA, and it has made an enormous difference in their lives, just being a part of the process, going through to the final round, and being able to sing on that stage in the concert setting. It has changed so many lives. It’s really my honor to be a part of that process every year.”
Words of Wisdom
If Hesse could offer advice to emerging musicians like YTA’s contestants, she would encourage them to remember that there is rarely a straight pathway from college to career. Getting there takes perseverance.
“It is just a twisty journey, and nobody can predict what will happen,” she said. “You never know when you audition or apply for a job why something went the way it did.
“And if you go into an audition or an interview and you can say, ‘You know what? I did my very best that I could do today,’ take that as a win. Then, think about things you would want to do differently the next time.”