Continued from Page 13
great a toll on his hands and his arms, and he wasn’t able to play
in a manner to do his musical ideas justice.

That led Walinsky on what he calls a “healing journey.”
“I tried a whole variety of different modalities,” he said.

Walinsky went to chiropractors and alternative healers.

“I went to somebody who was a rolfer (comparable to a
masseuse); you get worked over really good with that,” he said,
laughing. He also went to a surgeon who recommended surgery on both
hands; he was not ready for that.

“What I eventually bought into was the idea that if I don’t
change the way I was playing piano, then it wouldn’t matter if I
got the operation because then (the carpal tunnel) would set up
all over again.”
That led Walinsky to a piano wellness teacher in Cherry Hill,
New Jersey, named Sheila Paige. Paige, a classical pianist herself,
teaches the Taubman technique, which teaches musicians how to
play in ways that don’t harm their body.

It took Walinsky about five years of study with Paige to feel suf-
ficiently comfortable with the new technique to concertize again.

“It really takes quite a bit of time and practice to incorporate
that into one’s playing,” Walinsky confirmed. “Especially when
you’re playing up-tempo stuff — that stuff has to be right there,
literally at your fingertips.”
Rehab this extensive, no matter one’s predisposition towards
positivity, is an ordeal that can test patients and families, but
Walinsky’s support system — his wife Nina and his daughters,
14 DECEMBER 19, 2019
Lou Walinsky performs at Inglis House in Wynnefield, his second of three
performances in 2019-2020 sponsored by the PA Council on the Arts.

Courtesy of Lou Walinsky
Sonia Gordon-Walinsky and Naomi Walinsky-King— hasn’t
wavered, in part because they know that Walinsky needs music,
and needs to be able to play his way, to feel whole.

“My dad’s music for him is very much like prayer, and I feel
that my artwork is like prayer also,” said Gordon-Walinsky, 37,
an artist specializing in Torah-centered calligraphy, whom the
Jewish Exponent profiled earlier this year. “I feel like (playing
music) is pretty much as essential as drinking water, for him.”
But it’s not just for her father’s own personal fulfillment that
Gordon-Walinsky encourages him to keep stoking the fires of his
musical passion; it’s for hers, too.

“Listening to his music, for me, is life affirming. It connects
you to something good; it puts life in perspective.” Gordon-
Walinsky said. “Some pieces, like his rendition of (the traditional
THE GOOD LIFE
JEWISHEXPONENT.COM



American folk song) ‘Shenandoah’ — whenever I hear it, it’s a
very powerful piece for me.”
Gordon-Walinsky also joked that growing up with her father’s
singular arrangements of well-known songs left her with the
misimpression that her father’s versions were, if not the only
versions, then at least the most correct ones.

“Growing up, I thought my dad’s rendition of (George
Gershwin’s) ‘I Got Rhythm’ was the original,” she said, laughing
at her youthful naiveté. “To this day, I think of his ‘Shenandoah’
as opposed to Pete Seeger’s or anyone else’s.”
Walinsky’s wife has also fi gured prominently, not just person-
ally, in his musical development. “She’s been deeply integral to
his musical journey,” Gordon-Walinsky said.

Th ough arrangements of others’ compositions are his bread
and butter, Walinsky did compose about 25-30 originals in the
’70s and ’80s. None became hits, but one holds special meaning
for him. Th e song’s called “Love and Fear.” It’s the one he played
for his future wife when he fi rst met her.

“Th at’s quite a memorable meeting of souls,” Gordon-
Walinsky said.

TWO BEDROOMS.

TWO BATHS.

TOO PERFECT.

Construction on Rydal Waters is
underway, with cottages slated to
open in 2020 and 2021. An expansion
of the renowned Rydal Park Life Plan
Community, Rydal Waters will offer
elegant, maintenance-free cottages in
the heart of Abington.

Call 215-814-0355 or
visit ExploreRydalWaters.org for our
schedule of upcoming information sessions.

Lou Walinsky is gearing up to do more concerts and share more of his
music. Courtesy of Lou Walinsky
Walinsky and his wife, Nina, will celebrate their 50th wedding
anniversary next year, and they live within three blocks of both
daughters. As for whether Walinsky, 74 who has fi ve grandchildren, is
getting ready to slow, Gordon-Walinsky doubts it.

“He’s just gearing up. He just wants to do more concerts and
get it out there, share his life’s work.”
In 2019-2020, Lou Walinsky was awarded a grant from
the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts to perform three local
concerts. Th e fi rst two, at Perelman Jewish Day School and Inglis
House in Wynnefi eld, respectively, have passed, but the third will
be at KleinLife on Jan. 21 at 10:30 a.m. ●
msilver@jewishexponent.com; 215-832-0737
JEWISHEXPONENT.COM Sales Office: 1515 The Fairway, Rydal, PA 19046
ExploreRydalWaters.org THE GOOD LIFE
DECEMBER 19, 2019
15