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 As
a child in Chelmsford, Mass., Walter R. "Skip" Wilkins
III ‘83 seemed destined to become a musician. His mother
has a photo of him singing to a large gathering at his kindergarten
graduation.
"It was clear then that I was interested in being
onstage," Wilkins says. Before he was 10, he veered
away from his peers by listening to Count Basie and Frank
Sinatra. He also started playing the drums, following in
the footsteps of his father, a drummer. At age 12, he began
playing the piano and never stopped.
Chance encounters with two women altered his life. Barbara
Armstrong ‘80
became his Big Sister as part of the Purple Key program, which paired the
incoming freshman with the senior from his home town. A romance
developed and the two
were eventually married at Holy Cross. They now live in Emmaus, Pa., with
their daughter, Emily, and son, Daniel.
Wilkins, 36, met flutist Jill Allen in 1991 when she did
her doctoral interview and audition at the University of
Northern Colorado. "I was actually her
accompanist for this audition," notes Wilkins, who was teaching at
UNC. A musical connection was made; they formed a jazz duo and released
a CD of
original compositions and covers, Two Much Fun!, in 1994.
They’ve performed in many states, as a duo and a
quartet. Their goals include recording a CD this spring with
the quartet (augmented by guest saxophonist
David Liebman), securing a record label deal, and touring in Europe. "I’d
like that to happen yesterday," Wilkins jokes of the latter.
Currently teaching at Muhlenberg College and Moravian College
in Pennslyvania, Wilkins previously was an assistant professor
at UNC, where he earned
his master’s
degree in music theory and composition in 1989. He also studied and
taught at Berklee College of Music in Boston during the ‘80s.
He traces his interest in intellectual life to Holy Cross, "the
first place where the intellectual rigors of the people around me were
really stimulating."
Wilkins finds satisfaction in "falling in love with the music over and
over again," whether it’s listening to a recording or live performance
or playing onstage or at home by himself. "There’s this constant
feeling of renewal that you get in all those situations, when they’re
good."
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