“From the age of 3, CBS News political correspondent Ed O’Keefe toiled at a keyboard—not in typing … but in studying classical piano in Delmar, a suburb of Albany, NY,” reports Candice Agree on Wednesday (1/20) at Chicago’s WFMT radio. “Although he loved playing, his interest in current events and politics pulled him into a journalism career…. O’Keefe, 37, is about to become a fixture in the White House press room, as he will cover the Biden administration…. But he has never left his first passion far behind. He shared some musical memories with us before taking on his new assignment … as Senior White House & Political Correspondent.” O’Keefe discusses his fifteen years of classical piano study; attending concerts by the Albany Symphony Orchestra and at the Tanglewood Festival; how mastering Chopin’s 24 Preludes and other pieces provided lessons in “how to memorize material, an essential skill for live television”; and playing piano as an adult as “a way to relax, to relieve stress … a unique and memorable way to entertain people.” Says O’Keefe, “One day in the future, I’d like to commit to … re-learning the work I spent 15 years studying as a kid.”
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