At a spry 106, Rosa Rio is a testament to the will of spirit.  Her prolific career began with a simple declaration to her family at age eight, "When I grow up, I want to play a big piano, wear pretty clothes and lots of jewelry, and make people happy."  Her extraordinarily positive, motivated and determined attitude has allowed her to seamlessly adapt to changes in the entertainment industry (silents, talkies, radio, tv, and now, back to silents). “I can’t believe that I’ve been so fortunate to have been in so many things that went out and I bounced back,” she says.  Her path was not without challenges.  As the only skirt in the orchestra pit, she routinely challenged men who considered her to be second fiddle because of her gender.  She allayed those stereotypical reactions with talent, charm and a (sometimes bawdy) sense of humor.    

Rosa began taking piano lessons at eight and at ten landed her first job at a silent movie theater in hometown of New Orleans.  After studying music at Oberlin College and silent film accompaniment at The Eastman School of Music, Rosa accompanied silent films in movie palaces in New York and New Orleans.  The balloon burst in 1927 with the advent of "talkies.”

In the 1930s and 40s, Rosa was dubbed "Queen of the Soaps," having provided organ accompaniment for 24 soap operas and radio dramas, sometimes dashing from one studio to another with seconds between shows.  On average, she played for five to seven shows per day, including "The Shadow" with Orson Welles and "The Bob and Ray Show," “Cavalcade of America,” and “My True Story.”  

Rosa was hired by NBC as a temporary replacement while they searched for a man.  "I asked them if they were looking for a man or an organist," Rosa says.  She stayed for 22 years and was the first woman hired into an orchestra of 156 men.  It would be ten years before another woman was hired, and would kindle Rosa’s life-long passion for women’s rights. 

Transitioning to television, Rosa played the organ for many network series, including "The Today Show," “As the World Turns,” and "The Guiding Light.”

On piano, Rosa worked with many vocalists, most notably Mary Martin, whom she accompanied at her audition for Cole Porter.  

Since 1996, Rosa has performed for over 30 silent film presentations for full houses at the Tampa Theatre’s 1,400-pipe Mighty Wurlitzer Theatre Organ.  Well-deserved standing ovations are the norm.  But she graciously returns the accolades:  "I have such gratitude for the wonderful people who have such love for the theatre organ, silent pictures and Tampa Theatre."

November 18, 2008

Rosa Rio Magazine Article

Read more about Rosa in this in-depth article
from the Journal of the American Theatre Organ Society.

Rosa Rio Interviewed on NPR

Listen to Rosa Rio's interview on National Public Radio's Weekend Edition.  Rosa speaks about her experiences playing the organ on The Shadow with Orson Welles and countless other radio shows, silent movies, and soap operas - and being the Tampa's special event organist.

She Improvs with Age

A gift for improvisation has carried organist Rosa Rio through a century of change.  By Cooper Cruz in The Weekly Planet

Rosa at the Brooklyn Paramount

Rosa runs between live radio shows at NBC.

Rosa reacts to a standing ovation after her performance of

"Beyond the Rocks" at Tampa Theatre on May 28, 2006.

A personal note of appreciation from William Randolph Hearst