Not even apartheid—legalized institutional race-based segregation—prevented South African native Dr. Franklin Larey from becoming a world-renowned concert pianist and, later, a highly regarded music educator and director at Ball State University.

Propelled by his talent, drive, and years of hard work, Dr. Larey became an accomplished pianist who has performed on prestigious stages, such as the Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage in Washington, D.C., and Carnegie Hall in New York City.

Today, Dr. Larey serves as the director of Ball State’s School of Music and a professor of music, roles he assumed after joining the University in 2023. And this October, he will be honored by Rhodes University in Makhanda, South Africa, which will award him an honorary Doctor of Music degree.

“In their motivation for the conferral of this honorary degree, the nominators have highlighted your acclaimed performances of works by composers such as Brahms, Mozart, Scriabin, and Ravel,” Rhodes University Vice-Chancellor Sizwe Mabizela said in a letter to Dr. Larey.

“They have emphasized that your achievements are particularly remarkable given your journey from a farm in South Africa, where apartheid-era restrictions denied you access to public piano lessons, to becoming a distinguished pianist and academic. This trajectory underscores your extraordinary dedication and passion for classical music,” the vice-chancellor also wrote.

Talent, Drive Find a Way

Dr. Larey has been exposed to piano music all of his life. He grew up in a small farming community about an hour’s drive north of Cape Town, South Africa, where his father was a teacher at the local school. His parents were self-taught piano players, although his family did not own a piano. On many weekends, his mother, who played by ear, often played the piano at the school.

“The sounds that come from the piano are absolutely beautiful,” Dr. Larey said, closing his eyes briefly as if momentarily spellbound by his memories of the music’s melody, harmony, and rhythm. “For me, there are colors to the sounds and I like to explore those in my mind.”

The only thing Dr. Larey thought might be better than listening to the piano would be to play the piano himself.

Not long after his family relocated to another small town, a man who played the piano moved in next door. Dr. Larey would sit outside his home and listen to the man play.

“On my 16th birthday, my parents took me to that neighbor, who had agreed to teach me to play,” Dr. Larey said. “I absorbed everything he taught me. I flew through the beginner’s book in one week.”

Eventually, Dr. Larey realized that he wanted to become a concert pianist. But he, and other Black people, were barred from attending the country’s revered University of Cape Town without special permission. Given his family’s opposition to apartheid, he did not seek authorization.

However, he didn’t give up his dream of becoming a concert pianist. In the 1980s, Dr. Larey earned a Fulbright scholarship to attend the University of Cincinnati to study music, where he later earned his doctoral degree in musical arts. Additionally, he earned an LRSM (Licentiate of the Royal Schools of Music) in piano performance in 1981. The Royal Schools of Music in London offers the LRSM in advanced-level performance or teaching.

Dr. Larey became an accomplished concert pianist who earned international acclaim for his performances of works by Brahms, Mozart, Scriabin, and Ravel. His academic career has included earning numerous scholarships, prizes, distinctions, professorships, and collegiate leadership roles at several colleges and universities.

Making Music Education More Accessible

Among those academic educator and leadership roles was at the University of Cape Town, which denied him, in his teen years, the opportunity to audition for admission to study. During his time there, from 1997 to 2019, he taught and later earned the position of director at the university’s College of Music.

“That was awesome!” Dr. Larey said. “I had to pinch myself to check if it was really happening.”

While at the University of Cape Town, Dr. Larey started a program that provides underprivileged children free music instruction. He worked with local organizations and community churches, which allowed their pianos to be used for these lessons. Dr. Larey was the instructor for many of the children in the program.

“These were kids who came from very poor communities and lacked the money to get music instruction, or otherwise didn’t have access to music education,” he explained. “These kids were amazing! Some of them went on to study music as Fulbright scholars. Because of this, I didn’t have a Saturday off for about 20 years—and it was worth it. Those were very special memories.”

Dr. Larey said his students in South Africa and America have been a significant source of his inspiration.

“It’s their thirst to become greater than they are, wanting to be part of something bigger. They want to learn and pursue their dreams, and they desire to become better musicians,” he said. “I am happy to have the opportunity to help them along that path.”