I met with Jill Richards for lunch today. Jill is a wonderful pianist without whom a piece like Antjie in Berlin would probably never have come to life. She has wonderful Steinway (carefully pampered), and many happy hours have been spent in her living room listening to the seemingly never ending resonances of its strings.
While composers may be stepping into the role of performer more often these days, Jill is an example of an ever creative performer. An initiator, free improvisor, and participant in many multi-disciplinary collaborations, she has also been creating soundtracks and now even works involving actors!