Delphin & Romain was an American classical piano duo formed by pianists Wilfred Delphin and Edwin Romain. Active from 1977 to 1995, the duo was among the first African American piano duos to perform on the international professional concert circuit. Delphin & Romain performed widely throughout the United States as well as in South America, Europe, and Asia. Its repertoire included standard works for piano duo alongside music by African American and other Black composers. In addition to appearing in major concert venues, the duo also performed in smaller communities, sometimes transporting their own pianos to facilitate performances.
Delphin & Romain has been credited with helping expand opportunities for Black classical pianists in the United States beginning in the late 1970s and continuing throughout its career, which ended shortly before the death of Edwin Romain in 1995.
Delphin & Romain made its professional debut in 1977 at Carnegie Hall, appearing as soloists with the Symphony of the New World in Francis Poulenc's Concerto in D minor for Two Pianos. Writing in The New York Times, John Rockwell praised the debut performance as "fluent, neatly meshed, well‐balanced . . . consistently musical."
During the late 1970s and 1980s the duo maintained an active performing career while also holding academic appointments.
In 1979 Delphin & Romain moved to Charleston, South Carolina, where the pianists were appointed Artists-in-Residence at the College of Charleston. During their years in Charleston, they were active in the city's musical life, including appearances connected with the Spoleto Festival USA and other cultural events in the area.
In 1988 Delphin & Romain accepted teaching positions on the faculty at Southern Illinois University Carbondale.
Selected performances
The duo appeared at major concert venues and festivals in the United States and internationally. Selected performances include:
Carnegie Hall debut, October 16, 1977 – performed Francis Poulenc's Concerto in D minor for Two Pianos with the Symphony of the New World.
The duo also commissioned new works for two pianos, supported emerging composers of diverse backgrounds, and presented premiere performances of contemporary repertoire. Selected commissions and premiere performances are summarized below.
Although Delphin & Romain did not produce commercial audio or video recordings, limited documentation of the duo's performances has been preserved on archival and educational websites.
Wilfred Delphin (b. 1949, El Dorado, Arkansas) is an American classical pianist and educator. A longtime professor of piano at Southern Illinois University Carbondale (SIUC), he is best known as one half of the piano duo Delphin & Romain, the piano duo that performed internationally from 1977 to 1995. After retiring from SIUC in 2004, he continued performing and teaching, including serving as artist-in-residence at Xavier University of Louisiana, his alma mater. Delphin was a founding pianist and rehearsal coach for OperaCréole and has participated in community initiatives including Peace Corps volunteer work in Senegal and recovery efforts in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina.
Edwin Romain (1950–1995, New Orleans, Louisiana) was an American classical pianist and educator. A professor of piano at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, he co-founded the piano duo Delphin & Romain with Wilfred Delphin. The duo debuted at Carnegie Hall in 1977 and performed internationally until 1995. In addition to his performing career, Romain was active as a teacher and lecturer, presenting recitals, workshops, and educational programs throughout the United States. His career ended with his death in 1995.
Footnotes
↑Pamela Pike, “Wilfred Delphin: Breaking Barriers through a Life in Music,” Piano Magazine 17, no. 13 (Autumn 2025): 15.
↑Susanna Garcia and William Chapman Nyaho, “Preface,” in Thomas Henderson Kerr Jr., Didn't My Lord Deliver Daniel? Concert Scherzo for Two Pianos, ed. Susanna Garcia and William Chapman Nyaho (Princeton, NJ: The Frances Clark Center, Piano Education Press, 2024), 8-9.
“Appointments.” Black Music Research Newsletter. Spring 1979. Announcement of Wilfred Delphin and Edwin Romain as Artists-in-Residence at the College of Charleston.
Garcia, Susanna and William Chapman Nyaho. 2024. "Preface" In Thomas Henderson Kerr Jr., Didn't My Lord Deliver Daniel? Concert Scherzo for Two Pianos, edited by Susanna Garcia and William Chapman Nyaho, 4–15. Princeton, NJ: The Frances Clark Center, Piano Education Press, 2024.
Hailstork, Adolphus. Sonata for Two Pianos. Bryn Mawr, PA: Theodore Presser Company, 1987.