You reached this page through the archive. Click here to return to the archive.

Note: This article is over a year old and information contained in it may no longer be accurate. Please use the contact information in the lower-left corner to verify any information in this article.

Siskind composes 'Filial Frolic' for family that nurtured musical legacy

By David Gonnerman '90 with Jacob Erickson '06
June 7, 2003

Stephanie Bina, a 2003 graduate of St. Olaf College whose family lives in Eden Prairie, performed her senior piano recital on campus May 4. That's not unusual for a student majoring in music.

Unique to this recital, however, was Filial Frolic, A Fantasia for Forty Fingers, performed on two pianos by Bina and her three siblings. Renowned composer Paul Siskind was commissioned to write the piece.

the Bina family at home
(Clockwise, from left) Stephanie, Jeff, Kristin and Alison Bina.Photo by Johnstone Photography, Minnetonka, Minn..


All four Bina siblings have attended or are currently attending St. Olaf. Kristen, 27, studied communications at the college and currently works in public relations. Alison, 25, graduated in music education and directs the orchestras in the St. Louis Park school district. Jeff will begin his second year at St. Olaf this fall with a major in music.

The siblings' mother, Kathy Bina of Eden Prairie, commissioned Siskind, a former music theory professor at St. Olaf and her thesis adviser at the University of St. Thomas, to write the piece. This is the second Bina commission for Siskind, who serves on the faculty of the Crane School of Music in Potsdam, N.Y.

The Binas will perform Filial Frolic again June 9 at the Minnesota Music Teachers Association's 105th Annual Convention at the Minneapolis-St. Paul North Holiday Inn in St. Paul. The performance will be free and open to the public.

A prolific and award-winning composer, Siskind earned the 1999 New Music Delaware Composition prize, among numerous other honors. His music encompasses many genres, including orchestral, band, choral, chamber music, opera, art song and big band jazz.

"Writing a piano quartet was a big challenge for me," Siskind says. "I've written in a wide variety of genres, but solo piano music has never been a particular strength of mine.

"The quirks of a piano quartet compounded the difficulties," he explains. "All I could think about was what to do with all of those fingers, but no elbow room?"

Siskind had stylistic challenges, too, in composing for the keyboard-based quartet. "It had to be a flashy finale for the recital -- but it couldn't be too difficult to put together in limited rehearsal time, since the kids no longer live at home together."

The composer settled on a somewhat minimalist approach, layering repetitive patterns that sound more complex together than they actually are individually. "I also incorporated a few passages where each player plays a cadenza at the same time, but each in their own tempo. It's sort of a musical sibling rivalry," he says.

In addition to piano, all four siblings played additional instruments in the St. Olaf Band or St. Olaf Orchestra (Jeff is currently in both ensembles). Stephanie also performed her senior recital on violin last fall.

"The name Bina and music making at St. Olaf have a rich history," says Ken Graber, Stephanie's piano teacher at St. Olaf. "It is not that common to find four siblings who are all excellent pianists."

Added Siskind, whose works have been performed and commissioned by the Minnesota Orchestra, the Dale Warland Singers and the Omaha Symphony: "The college is fortunate to be fostering a musical legacy in the talented Bina family."

St. Olaf College fosters the development of mind, body and spirit. It is a residential college in Northfield, Minn., and affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). Nearly two-thirds of its students participate in international studies.

Contact David Gonnerman at 507-786-3315 or gonnermd@stolaf.edu.