It has been nearly 60 years since pianist Ruth Slenczynska has released an album, but she isn’t letting the fact that she is 97 years old slow her down.

By the age of 97 most artists are happy to sit back and enjoy what they have spent a lifetime collecting, but Slenczynska, who is the last known student of Sergei Rachmoninoff, has chosen to celebrate her life with a new album. “My Life in Music” is just that – a reflection of her life and the music she has been playing for decades including Barber, Rachmoninoff Chopin, Debussy, Grieg, and Bach.

Playing since she was just four years old, Slenczynska said, “you don’t become a pianist until you’re past the age of 60. And then you should have something to say that’s worthwhile. If you don’t, forget it.”

A child prodigy not seen since Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Slenczynska was born in Sacramento, California the daughter of Polish immigrants. Her father was a violinist. She left to study in Europe when she was just five years old.

Throughout her career she has performed for four United States presidents including Harry S. Truman and John F. Kennedy.