For a few hours every week, Wintergarden Lobby has been filled with songs considerably more graceful than its usual passing-through chatter. Pittsburgh native and pianist William Kuhns came to Berend this fall to study Management Information Systems and Supply Chain Management but was unable to leave behind his love for the keys in the meantime.

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Brought into the world of music by his parents, a five-year-old Kuhns was enthralled by the piano and has been playing ever since. His education began with a very helpful and encouraging teacher who taught from her home, only taking on a small selection of students at a time to leave room for focused attention.

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His skillset was expanded and sharpened during his attendance at the Carnegie Mellon Music Preparatory School, through which he performed at a number of formal events and professional groups. His high school began to know him for his abilities which were well utilized at school events small and large. There, he also took an AP Music Theory course, a class filled with students who were musically inclined if not also seeking music-centered careers. From this course he claims he greatly benefitted despite knowing that his music would not take priority in his life. Here is where he began to learn independent listening interpretation and technical coordination aspects that now help him to create his own work uninhibited. His understanding and appreciation for music is not limited to the piano; the aficionado is proficiently able to play the guitar, trumpet, saxophone and bass drum among others.

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While at Behrend, Kuhns has been practicing on the public baby grand an average of five hours per week, a number still falling short of the daily hour on top of performances he was used to at home. While no concrete performance opportunities have been set yet, Kuhns is keeping his options open and would most definitely consider playing for various occasions in his new community.

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Walking through Reed while Kuhns plays gives the building a sense of whimsy and theatre that is little felt in such a standard place. His ability to easily play beautiful impromptu classical music is a skill that others have said, and he agrees, is relatively unique and this does not go unnoticed. Kuhns’ fingers dance along the keyboard at the mercy of his off-the-cuff compositions, drawing commentators, spectators, and even dancers to the scene. He pulls inspiration from the style of Beethoven and admires the talent of Chopin, but makes it known that what he plays is generally all his own. His evening practices are meant to be just that, but I believe that they have become modest little shows for anyone lucky enough to wander by. He instills in his listeners awe, tranquility, wonder and a tinge of envy, uniting the room for the brief time he plays; a time bursting with the feelings we should feel more often.