A Life in Music, A Legacy of Giving

Tampa, Fla. – For most people, battling cancer in the face of a natural disaster would seem insurmountable. But one woman has a different story to tell—of hope, healing, and a bright future against all odds.

Born in 1946, American pianist Rebecca Penneys is a celebrated recitalist, chamber musician, orchestral soloist, educator, and adjudicator. Since retiring from the Eastman School of Music as Professor of Piano in 2017, she has been a strong contributor to the Tampa Bay musical community and a figurehead for inspiring new generations of talented pianists through her tuition-free Rebecca Penneys Piano Festival (RPPF) at the University of South Florida (USF) each summer. Now in its 14th season, RPPF is one of the premier collegiate summer piano festivals in the world.

In June 2024, everything changed for Penneys, who was diagnosed with anal cancer that had advanced significantly due to two years of misdiagnoses and improper care. She immediately started an intense regimen of chemo and radiation at the Moffitt Cancer Center in addition to multiple alternative therapies. Despite her exhaustion, she managed a few personal appearances at RPPF, where she is founder and artistic director, doing her best to stay involved.

“My life has always been about helping others through music,” Penneys stated. “The journey and struggle of living through extreme adversity is about striving for normalcy in the face of uncertainty and fear. Keeping a wide perspective is the most difficult part of being sick,” she continued.

Fast-forward into the latter part of the 2024 hurricane season which ravaged the coastline of west central Florida. Penneys’ home was devastated by Helene. Photos, letters, heirlooms, music, and a life’s worth of property and treasured possessions were gone. Only the Steinway pianos remained, moved out of the house just in time. And yet, she kept fighting forward with aggressive treatments, finding and moving into a new home, while still teaching and planning RPPF’s next season.

According to Penneys, “It’s vital to use one’s energy to build the new and let go of the old, to learn to be your own sun. Fear can be a doorway to opportunity to keep one’s gifts of love alive.”

Today, Moffitt has declared Penneys cured, with as close to zero chance of recurrence as possible. Her cancer treatments ended in November 2024, and her ongoing alternative care, with Dr. Colin Chan, is now focused on keeping her body strong while alleviating grueling side effects like neuropathy that are common to months of cancer treatment. Her hands have begun to weave magic at the piano again and she is returning to public performances, aiming for a 100% recovery. Penneys’ vision for the future is bright. She remains invested in the rising pianists of tomorrow through the Rebecca Penneys USF Music Fund and the USF Rebecca Penneys Graduate Collective, which provides two-year full scholarships to select graduate performance majors. And she looks forward to celebrating RPPF’s 15th anniversary in 2027. Her journey hasn’t been easy, and is ongoing, but it remains defined by the transformative power of love, generosity, and music.