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Blair Academy Students and Families: January Book - Dancing Hands

This guide provides information on collections and services offered by the Wilson Music Library to Blair Academy students and their families.

Virtual Story Times, Dancing Hands

This month's book for virtual story time is Dancing Hands: How Teresa Carreño Played the Piano for President Lincoln, by Margarita Engle and Rafael López. Use the links below to register; the Zoom link and password will be e-mailed to registrants on the day of the event.

Cover of Dancing Hands with an illustration of Teresa Carreno playing the piano. Colorful flowers are coming from the piano against a gray Civil War battleground.

Who Was Teresa Carreno?

Teresa Carreño was born on Dec. 22, 1853 in Caracas, Venezuela. Teresa came from an accomplished musical family, and she began studying music with her father when she was only 6 years old. The Carreño family fled war in Venezuela, immigrating to the United States in 1862. Teresa was an excellent pianist, but also a gifted improviser and composer. She was mentored by Louis Marie Gottschalk, making her New York premiere when she was 8 years old. Carreño toured throughout her life and performed in the Americas, Cuba, Europe, North and South Africa, Australia, and the Caribbean. She composed 80 works, primarily for piano, but also for orchestra and string quartet. Carreño died on June 12, 1917 in New York City.

Playlist to Accompany Dancing Hands:

Would you like to hear a recording of Teresa Carreño playing the piano? Would you like to listen to some of her piano compositions? Check out the tracks in our Spotify playlist!