Partners at home and on stage - Misha & Cipa Dichter - pianists

American Music Teacher, Feb-March, 2003 by Kathleen Rountree

Misha and Cipa have a home in New York City and one in the countryside in New Salem; between the two residences they share their life with five pianos. Three Steinway grand pianos live in New York, and two in North Salem, and included among the keyboard family are three vintage instruments (1871, 1890, 1930).

The Dichters' life is multifaceted, including two grown sons, a vintage Mercedes automobile and a Springer Spaniel named Mercedes (after the automobile). They both are avid joggers; Misha is a sketch artist and has seen his works exhibited in New York galleries. Cipa is active with the S.L.E. Foundation's Woman's Leadership Council, a woman's health initiative that advocates for increased research on treatment and prevention of lupus. About the challenge of both being married and performing together, Cipa called it "an exercise in patience and diplomacy," and added, "the challenge is to keep your professional life separate from the dinner table."

Sources

"At home with Cipa and Misha," Artsnews, June 1998.

"In Tune: Misha & Cipa Dichter," The Westchester WAG.

"Dichters continue to make beautiful music together," Home News Tribune, July 9, 2000.

"Cipa Dichter," Chicago Tribune.

Misha and Cipa Dichter will perform Monday, March 17, 8:00 P.M. in Abravanel Hall during the 2003 MTNA National Conference.

Kathleen Rountree, NCTM, is dean of the College of Performing and Visual Arts at the University of Northern Colorado. She has written numerous articles on piano literature and edited two anthologies for Warner Publications. She is chair of the American Music Teacher Editorial Committee.