McCabe sisters developed separate identities but harmonious talents
"We trade off," says big sister Robin McCabe.
"You always play Piano I!" says younger sister Rachelle McCabe in mock indignation. "You know that!"
Ah, the joys of sisterhood. Growing up in an exceptional family, Robin and Rachelle McCabe were smart, talented youngsters who both studied at the Juilliard School, went on to doctoral degrees and university teaching positions, kept their piano performance careers going — and still find time today, in their 40s, for their sister act.
So closely attuned that they can finish each other's sentences, they're each other's biggest fans. Most of the time, that is.
"She's a great director," says Rachelle of her sister, who is director of the University of Washington School of Music. "She's so sensitive to everyone."
"She's so musical," says Robin of her sister, who is professor of music at Oregon State University. "I can hear a little turn of the phrase, a little inflection, and I know: That's Rachelle."
'A little showoff'
It wasn't always that way. Bright and gifted, with Type-A parents (a physician and a registered nurse) who doted on her achievements, Robin always took the lead. Five and a half years older than Rachelle, she was "a little showoff," as she now describes herself.
"I got everybody's first bit of attention. I was spoiled."
At 3, she already knew the names of all the muscles, and would chirp "Sternocleidomastoid" or "Gastrocnemius" when her father tested her in front of friends and visitors. Not long after that, she was amazing everyone at the piano, with her perfect pitch, her fast fingers and her improvisational abilities. Robin could play just about anything, from pop and jazz to difficult classical works, and she loved the spotlight.
"I remember those Christmas buffets at our house," says Rachelle (nicknamed Chelle), "with Robin playing by ear, and someone calling out 'Let's hear "Mac the Knife" ' or whatever. I had no improvisational skills, and I would escape to my bedroom. Once Dad came up and hauled me out of bed, and I came downstairs in my pajamas to play (Chopin's) 'Fantasie-Impromptu,' shaking with nerves.
"I resented Robin a little. Everything seemed to be so perfect, and she knew exactly where she wanted to go. She knew her path. I was drifting."
Both sisters studied with Bela Siki, the legendary piano professor (now retired) at the UW. So did youngest sister Renee, the only one to be caught looking at her watch during a lesson — much to Siki's disbelief.
Meanwhile, Robin's career shot forward like a meteor. She earned a doctorate at Juilliard, studying with the renowned Rudolf Firkusny, and went on to win several awards. Her early career was the subject of a huge New Yorker profile, and later a book, by the writer Helen Drees Ruttencutter ("Pianist's Progress"). She toured four continents, taught at Juilliard and came to the UW faculty in 1987.
"I was fortunate," Robin says. "I had talent and luck. And I had very supportive parents. My Mom wouldn't push me, but she would be disappointed if I did less than my best. Both she and Dad drove me all over, to competitions and festivals, and were always there for me."
Eased up for Rachelle
Both parents loosened up a little when Rachelle came along. She remembers her father, Dr. Edward McCabe, a Marcus Welby type who delivered more than 2,000 babies, as "very demanding with Robin, but not with me." Renee, the youngest child, has gone her own way; Robin describes her as "a people person" and a music lover, though not a piano person.
Deeply invested in her oldest daughter's success, Lue McCabe helped Robin pick out an orange dress for a big New York concert, and an unkind reviewer described both the dress and its wearer as "gauche." Mother and daughter were both crushed.
"Mother never got over it," says Robin of that remark.
Happily, there were better times ahead. Meanwhile, Rachelle was following her own career path, interested in medicine — "until I took organic chemistry!" Rachelle never imagined herself as a professional musician.
"I didn't have the personality to make my own way in music," she reflects, "but Robin showed me the ropes" (at Juilliard). Later, Rachelle took her time going through graduate school at the University of Michigan ("I was a slow learner," she jokes). Her wide-ranging interests equipped her well for her current job as professor at Oregon State University, where she teaches not only piano but also interdisciplinary courses linking philosophy, literature and music. Married since 1988 to a British scientist, Rachelle has two children, 8 and 12, both musical.
The sisters endured a painful period in 2001-02, when both parents died within months of each other after extended illnesses. Now the McCabes cherish the family connection more than ever — except when they are teasing each other at the keyboard over their differences in interpretation.
Tops will help you tell
At the Meany Hall concert, the McCabes will be wearing identical black skirts, but completely different tops. Maybe their attire is a metaphor for their duo: half identical, half highly individual.
"We haven't always gotten along," confesses Rachelle.
"Once, we were practically snarling at each other across the pianos. And I remember one time when we were practicing for a duo concert, and Robin kept saying, 'Play quieter — quieter!' Finally, I stopped playing at all. She said, 'Now you've got it!' And I thought, 'Yup. I've stopped playing, and she thinks I've got it.' "
So how would they describe rehearsals for the upcoming concerts?
"Um, very high-spirited," says Robin. "Very lively.
"The truth is, it's really nice to play music with your sister. How many people can do that? We're both very fortunate."
Melinda Bargreen: mbargreen@seattletimes.com.
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