Jo-Ann Sillik finds purpose in music and community

Some Yorktown residents may know Jo-Ann Sillik as a familiar face at town board meetings or as an active member of Jefferson Village. But another side of Sillik can be found at the piano, where a lifelong love of music has carried her from childhood performances to decades of teaching and volunteering.

Sillik began playing piano as a child in Brooklyn, receiving a toy piano for Christmas before progressing to lessons at age 9. By 13, she was studying with a piano teacher in Manhattan and attending the High School of Performing Arts.

The lessons she learned through years of piano practice have stayed with her long after her professional performing career.

“It taught me a great deal of discipline that I used in every aspect of my life,” she said.

As a young musician, Sillik spent hours practicing each day while balancing her schoolwork and performances. At just 13 years old, she was entrusted with playing the piano at her middle school graduation ceremony because the school did not have a piano teacher available. The responsibility came with considerable pressure, but it also marked a significant milestone in her musical journey, as she received her first award.

Shortly afterward, she performed live on Channel 13, an accomplishment she said took “guts.” She likened the experience of performing live on television to “walking a tightrope.” By the age of 16, her musical talents had also led her to perform on radio and with orchestras, sharing the stage with seasoned adult musicians.

She went on to earn a scholarship to the Manhattan School of Music, teach in public schools and perform at venues including Rockefeller Center and the Roosevelt Hotel, where she played during the holiday season for nearly 20 years.

After retiring around 2010, Sillik continued to share her talent with others. She volunteered at schools and played for nursing home residents who could no longer attend live concerts.

“I can see the smiles on these 80-year-old and 90-year-old seniors,” she said. “The smiles on their faces — it sounds corny, but that was my pay. And it was worth much more than the dollars.”

When Sillik moved to Jefferson Village in 2012, she quickly found another opportunity to share her musical talents. That December, she organized a Christmas sing-along benefiting Toys for Tots, launching a tradition she has continued for more than a decade, with the only interruption occurring during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The event brings residents together for Christmas carols, refreshments, trivia and holiday sweater contests. Sillik said she appreciates the volunteers who help make it possible and the community members who look forward to the gathering each year.

Her music continues to reach people in other ways, too. Her performance on the historic organ at the Yorktown Museum is another way Sillik shares her love of music with the community, while taking part in Yorktown’s commemoration of the nation’s 250th anniversary. Visitors can scan a QR code to listen to her play.

Her connection to the community also extends beyond music. In 2017, she was inducted into the Westchester Senior Citizens Hall of Fame and received a certificate of special congressional recognition.

Her husband, Brian, received the same recognition this year for his military service and work with veterans’ groups, among other contributions.

And her life in Yorktown has brought personal happiness, too. She and Brian, both lost their previous spouses before finding each other. They have been together for 15 years, celebrating their anniversary in October.

Sillik told Yorktown News she wanted to share that part of their story because she believes other older adults may recognize themselves in it: the experience of losing a partner and eventually finding companionship again.

For Sillik, music remains a constant — whether she is preparing for a holiday performance, playing for residents or returning to the piano simply because it is part of who she is.

“Keep your dreams alive,” she said, offering advice to young people pursuing the arts. “If you don’t get that particular dream, there’s another one that you didn’t know was there, and you find just as much happiness.”