
Kristi's Musical
Training
Kristi first began taking formal piano lessons
at the age of seven from the late Mrs. Helen Dunlap. It was
there that she learned the fundamentals of piano and
received a good music foundation to build upon.
During elementary and high school, Kristi took
private piano from Mrs. Deborah Colvin. Mrs. Colvin
introduced Kristi to the remarkable piano music of
Dino Kartsonakis, and it was
his arrangements that inspired her to excel. Kristi performed
during this time at various recitals and talent showcases. At the age of
twelve, Kristi performed flawlessly The Norwegian Concerto by Grieg from
memory and received the Award for Best Piano Performance at Mrs.
Colvin’s annual recital competition.
After high school, Kristi received a
music scholarship to Snead State
Community College in Boaz, Alabama. It was there
that she studied classical piano with the accomplished Dr.
Melinda Kitchens Brooks. In 1993, Kristi was awarded Outstanding
Achievement in Music by the department of music faculty at Snead State.
Beginning at age 15 and continuing throughout her
college training, Kristi also took private piano from Mrs. Sharon Vick
of Boaz, Alabama. Besides being a popular music teacher in the
Northeast Alabama area, Mrs. Vick is a well-known gospel music composer.
It was here that Kristi studied gospel music improvisation and piano
theory. Mrs. Vick also introduced Kristi to the extraordinary music of
Mr. James D. Walbert of Birmingham, Alabama. Known as "The
Wizard of the Piano", Mr. Walbert is the grandson of the legendary
James D. Vaughn, the
"Father of
Southern Gospel
Music". During his musical career, Mr. Walbert performed with well known
entertainers such
as Dick Van Dyke,
Liberace, and
Judy Garland.
For over seventy years, Mr. Walbert composed and arranged hundreds of
songs, gave dazzling performances across the United States and abroad, and
taught piano to students of all ages from his Birmingham, Alabama
studio. He was a master at combining the elements of many musical
genres in his piano arrangements. Mr. Walbert was inducted
into the Southern Gospel Piano Roll of Honor, was elected a "Living
Legend" by the Grand Ole Gospel Reunion in 1999, and was inducted into
the Southern Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 2004. Mr. Walbert passed
away in June 2009 at the age of 91, but his music will live forever.
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