Greenville High Wall of Fame By Dylan, Will, and Sam

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Early Days

Cass was born on May 3, 1931.

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He attended Greenville High School from 1945-1949.

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He started playing the piano at the age of five.

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He got his inspiration from his mother, who was a singer.

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His favorite music to play was Mozart.

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He graduated from Furman with the Fulbright Scholarship. He used that scholarship in Paris, where he attended school.

Fame

 While spending two years Paris, he studied music and became a well-known concert pianist. He toured Europe, playing many concerts and at one time became the most requested pianist in the world.

Awards

 Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award  National Federation of Music Club’s Young Artist Competition Winner  Violli International Contest Winner  To quote Richard Riley, SC governor, and later Secretary of Education: “I took piano lessons for four or five years. I remember when I was in the third grade at Donaldson Elementary School in Greenville, South Carolina, and we were listening to a concert by Richard Cass. My teacher, Miss Bess Allen, leaned over and whispered, ‘Dick, you, too, can play like that if you will take your music seriously.’ "

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Later Years

Richard Cass is retired from fulltime professorship at University of Missouri. He lives in Kansas City, MO. He still does concerts and recently had a concert in Greenville, performing with the Governor's School. He is a visiting professor at Furman, and comes to Greenville regularly.

Interview

PROF. CASS: Still sounds like you’re in an echo chamber.

SAM/DYLAN: Haha ok.

DYLAN: Alright Prof. Cass, what was your favorite memory from Greenville high school?

PROF. CASS: My favorite memory from Greenville High School?

I think probably, let me see.

I was a member of Demalay(?) and we used to have hay rides and, uh, I had a date with a girl I liked a lot, and I think that’s certainly one of my favorites.

SAM: Alright, What would you say is your favorite piece of music? Did you have a favorite song growing up?

PROF. CASS: Well I think when I was younger I liked to play the music of Mozart a lot.

SAM: Ok PROF. CASS: And when you get older, and more experienced as a pianist your ideas change, but at that time I think Mozart was probably my favorite DYLAN: Who inspired you to play piano?

PROF. CASS: Let me see, well I grew up in a musical family.

My mother was a singer and my initial contact with music was, of course, through her. When I was a teenager there was a movie that came out called “A Song to Remember”, and it was about the life of Chopin. And there was a pianist who played the music of Chopin and that was a big inspiration to me.

SAM: What age did you first start playing piano?

PROF. CASS: When I was five years old, and I started actual lessons when I was eight years old SAM: We read somewhere that you traveled around Europe a lot. Any memories on that?

PROF. CASS: When I was a senior at Furman, I won a full ride scholarship, and I also had a major in French at Furman, and I wanted to go to France to study, So my senior year I won a full ride scholarship to France, and lived there for two years, Then toured around Europe a lot in the years following that. In France, Switzerland, and Germany.

SAM: Did you have a favorite city or favorite place?

PROF. CASS: Paris was probably my favorite city.

SAM: OK PROF. CASS: It was the European City that I knew best. You know there is only one Paris.

I’ve loved other places too, but Paris is my favorite.

SAM: Could you tell us anything about the other awards you’ve won?

PROF. CASS: Any what?

SAM: Any special award that stands out to you?

PROF. CASS: I didn’t get that, most important what?

SAM: Most important award to you?

PROF. CASS: The award that got me going on my concert career of course is very important to me and that was the National Affiliation(?) of Music Clubs Young Artist Competition. I won that in my senior year at Furman and that really stands out for me.

I got it in my teaching career, I was eventually named a Curates Distinguished Professor of the University of Missouri, and that is the highest honor the University of Missouri gives so I am pretty proud of that one.

DYLAN: Do you still play any concerts?

PROF. CASS: Yep, I still tour, I still play. In fact I played in Greenville just recently. I played a week and a half ago, I played a recital at the Governors School.

SAM: Do you still come to Greenville a lot?

PROF. CASS: Yeah, I come every semester because I am a distinguished visiting professor of music at Furman. So I come to Furman a week or ten days every semester and teach and usually play. My wife and I are both from Greenville so we’ve gone back frequently over the years.

End of Interview.

Bibliography

 Cass, Richard. Interviewed 16 May 2009.

 Furman Music Department Visiting Professors. Furman. May 12, 2009 http://www.furman.edu/depts/music/faculty/profiles/ visitingprofs.htm#RC  Riley, Richard. FAME Acceptance Speech. FAME Award Dinner. Washington, DC. Thursday, March 13, 1997.

Contributions

 Research: Sam, Dylan, and Will  PowerPoint: Sam and Dylan (Framework), Will (Formatting)  Interview: Sam and Dylan