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There are at least two lessons to be learned from the recent life of pianist Artina McCain (MM ’06, Brown). 

One: Be flexible, open to anything. Two: Put your stuff on YouTube.  

Do those things and you just might end up where McCain is about to be for the third time since 2023: on stage with a superstar – in this case, Solange Knowles.  

“I hope that students see there are always new possibilities for your career, and very viable ones,” said McCain, associate professor of piano at the University of Memphis. “I think it’s good to expand your horizons for professional opportunities.” 

Start with what’s ahead. On Sunday, June 15, McCain will appear on a program curated by Knowles (the younger sister of Beyoncé) and several other artists in Glory to Glory, the fifth concert in a six-concert series called Eldorado Ballroom. 

The June concerts will take place in Houston, while earlier versions of the series were presented at New York’s Brooklyn Academy of Music and Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles.  

McCain’s program, according to Performing Arts Houston, honors artists who channel faith through music, “honoring the profound devotion found in sound.” In addition to McCain, the program features conductor Malcolm Merriweather and legendary gospel group The Clark Sisters. 

“There are no genre limits with [Knowles], which I love,” McCain said. “She’s very difficult to pigeonhole.” 

Now for that lesson about flexibility. 

McCain’s role on Glory to Glory isn’t to play Brahms, Chopin, or Bach. It’s to play A Fungus Amungus, by jazz great Mary Lou Williams.  

The assignment required the classically trained pianist to quickly learn a piece without a printed score (there is now a transcription) and learn to improvise, both of which she’d never done before.  

That she was open to the idea, succeeded at both tasks, and has received two return invitations, is a testament to the value of a ���� education, McCain said.  

But McCain isn’t just holding up. She’s loving the gig. Playing with Knowles takes her out of her “bubble,” McCain said, forcing her to flex new and different musical muscles. The experience is invigorating, she said.  

Then there’s the inspiration she derives from the audience. Ignoring classical protocol, listeners at “Eldorado Ballroom” cheer or clap when they hear something they like. It’s music to McCain’s ears.  

“I love the immediate feedback,” she said. “If people feel an emotion in the moment, they share it.” 

All of which underscores the importance of the second lesson, of maintaining a presence on YouTube.  

Had McCain not done so, Knowles might never have found her, heard her perform, or invited her to join Eldorado Ballroom. A life-changing opportunity might have passed her by, without her ever knowing.  

None of this, too, would have materialized if McCain hadn’t also been aware of Knowles. Luckily, she was. When Knowles called, McCain knew to pick up.  

“I was definitely a fan,” McCain said. “I needed no explanation.”