Features

Dual passions

CHRISTOPHER KIES WHIRLS into his studio, apologizing for being late. "I'm just out of theory class and everyone seemed to want a piece of me," he says, faking a shiver and nodding to student Eric Beauregard, who's already seated at the piano. "They were pulling at my sleeve, as if I were a rock star."

He's smiling, of course. He may be a major Beatles fan and play a mean ragtime piano, but he's no Bruce Springsteen. He is, however, funny, quick, engaging and passionate about music. He and his wife, Arlene, are the reason Beauregard, who majored in both music and chemical engineering, chose UNH.

Arlene Kies, Eric Beauregard '07 and Christopher Kies

"I didn't know much about the engineering program at UNH, but I auditioned here with Chris and Arlene," Beauregard recalls. "It was just such a relaxed environment and they were so personable."

He wasn't disappointed. "Chris has these really great ears and is so in tune with such a huge repertoire. Every time I pull out a new piece of music, he knows every note. He and Arlene are both amazing musicians and teachers."

They also accommodated his rigorous schedule, coming in weekends to make up lessons, giving him the keys to their offices so he could practice at night, offering extra support before recitals. It's how they treat all their students.

"What Chris and I try to do as a team," says Arlene, "is to keep the level of piano playing as high as possible. We train students to play correctly and beautifully at the level where they are."

Beauregard has just returned from an American Institute of Chemical Engineers conference in California and a visit to Starkville, Miss., where he will begin doctoral engineering studies this winter, and where his fiancée-they met in an organic chemistry class at UNH-is now in veterinary school.

But now there are fingerings to master for a challenging piece that Beauregard, Chris and Arlene Kies will perform with the UNH Symphony in less than two weeks. The piece, "The Warriors," was performed with 18 pianos in Chicago. There will be only three on the Johnson Theatre stage. "We asked Eric to play with us because he can play with power and he likes big pieces," says Kies. "He also puts a lot of excitement and enthusiasm into his playing."

They go over a particularly fast, trilling part, and Kies advises Beauregard to "leave out one of those B-flats if you must. It's damn inconvenient and not worth giving yourself carpal tunnel."

A few days later, as the first full rehearsal for "The Warriors" gets underway, conductor and associate professor William Kempster leads one soaring passage and then asks for it again, instructing: "This most glorious moment has to be even more glorious."

Beauregard sits behind a grand piano. Arlene Kies is at the piano to his right, Chris Kies on his left. They have been his musical mentors for four years. But they've also become friends, confidants and musical colleagues. For Beauregard, it's been a glorious four years.

C.W. Wolff is a freelance writer in Kittery, Maine.

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