User:Sarahkw581

Franko Richmond (June 26, 1948 - January 9, 2009) was an internationally known pianist composer, teacher and performer.

Career
Franko is know as a world-class pianist/composer, and protégé of both classical concert pianist Earl Wild and the great international jazz legend Ahmad Jamal. Franko began his life-long love affair with music and the piano as a child prodigy and international competition pianist, performing in Carnegie Hall and on tour in the United States. By the time he entered college, Franko and his two younger brothers, all three classically trained pianists and know as The Richmond Brothers, had appeared in nearly 500 concerts. At age 23, Franko made an historic appearance as the guest soloist with the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., playing Gershwin’s 'Rhapsody in Blue' under the baton of conductor, Anatol Dorati. Franko's career featured appearances with major orchestras and concerts at Eisenhower Hall with stars including Dizzy Gillespie, Red Skelton, Rodney Dangerfield, Bill Cosby and Dinah Shore; cabaret theatre productions, jazz clubs, Woodstock anniversary concerts and special events. His performances abroad include Sydney, Australia; Naples, Italy, Istanbul, Turkey; Manaus (in the Amazon region) and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He is a recording artist and has co-authored three Broadway shows; one with Tom Chiodo and Galen Blum, Adventures in the Great Beyond, which ran off Broadway at the Harold Klurman Theater in NY; his second with Dr. Alice Kahn Ladas, Run for Your Life, in New York and Chicago; and, his most recent collaboration with Hollywood TV writer Blake Hunter (Who's the Boss?) is Mavis and the Three Bears, a musical fable produces at the Red Barn Theatre in Key West, Florida. Franko is listed in the prestigious roster of internationally recognized Steinway Artists, published by Hal Leonard and registered with BMI. He has written a movie score, produced two concert DVDS and has 10 CD recordings of his various styles of music that run the gamut from classical, jazz, latin, originals, pop, show tunes, standards, rock and more.

The Time Has Come
His environmental theme song, The Time Has Come, received worldwide television coverage to 50 countries and was sung in Portuguese, Spanish and English by 150 international students who were re-foresting an area of the Amazon Rainforest as part of the 1992 United Nations Earth Summit in Brazil. The Time Has Come was chosen as the first ever theme title and song for the 25th anniversary of Earth Day in the U.S. and abroad by the president, board and staff at Earth Day, USA in New Hampshire and Earth Day International in California.

Family and Later Years
He and his producer/artist wife, Gail Lima, resided in Key West, Florida for the past ten years. During his time in Key West, Franko taught at the Florida Keys Community College and had many private students. Franko passed away peacefully on January 9th, 2009 at his home with his devoted wife by his side. He succumbed after a long three and a half year battle with prostate and bone cancer. Franko is the son of Logan Allen Richmond and the late Eloisa D'Agostino of Williamsport, Pennsylvania. He leaves behind two brothers, Norman Richmond and Dennis Richmond, and his son Ivan Richmond and two grandchildren Isabella and Javier.