Wake Forest University Professor Pamela Howland began her lifelong relationship with Frédéric Chopin at the age of 8, when a childhood friend gifted her with an LP of the composer’s biography, told with a fusion of words and musical excerpts.

Now a renowned pianist, Howland plans to spend 2010 — the 200th anniversary of Chopin’s birth — spreading his story with a one-woman show that blends conversation and composition. “It’s not a concert; it’s not a reading; it’s not a play. Instead, it’s a combination of them all,” Howland explains.

The show, Remembering Frédéric: A Musical Conversation between Chopin and George Sand, uses autobiographical passages from the memoirs of Frenchwoman George Sand, a novelist who spent many years as Chopin’s romantic companion. 

Throughout the performance, Howland, whose career has left her well-traveled, employs the native tongues of the characters. “I speak in four languages: English; French for George; Polish for Chopin; and the universal language — music.”

Through translations, the show becomes approachable. “If you love beautiful piano music, Chopin is the master,” she says. “If you’re here for an engaging love story, the dialogue offers that too.”

The show blossomed from Howland’s visit to Poland in 2006. She then wrote the show in four months in anticipation of its premiere in Warsaw last August. “The story drew me into somewhere I never thought I’d go. I had no choice but to share it with the world.”

Remembering Frédéric will be performed Feb. 25 at Salem College’s Shirley Recital Hall, and Feb. 26 at WFU’s Brendle Recital Hall. Both shows begin at 7:30 p.m. and have a free admission. For more information on Pamela Howland, go to pamelahowland.com.