Written by 
Barton said as an artist, she was always nervous playing before an audience. But she would always strive to focus on bringing her music to life.
“I think there’s a lot of commonality with being an actor,” she said. “I’ve never been an actor, but an actor is also speaking another person’s words, and they have to embody the role. It’s that kind of experience.”
From touring to teaching
Barton no longer tours, but the piano is still a vital part of her life, almost like a second skin, she said. These days, she is the head of the piano department at the Westminster Conservatory of Music at Rider University. Her students love working with her.
“She’s a fabulous teacher, very encouraging, because she combines a sense of humanity and individual nurturing for each student, along with a level of excellence,” said Mary Greenberg, who has been studying piano with Barton since 1987.
Rosanne Vita Nahass, who was a medical doctor, became a concert pianist after studying with Barton for 18 years.
“She has changed my life, she is the most wonderful human being and piano teacher that one could ever hope for,” she said. “Ena has taught me to be myself, be faithful to the score, to listen to what the composer wants to transmit, and she’s wonderful with technique, finding your own voice.”
Francis Melvin said Barton is her favorite teacher since childhood. “She’s so supportive, working with her I’ve been able to relax and find myself musically,” she said.
Barton said playing the notes of a piece of music is only the beginning, the first step in a wonderful process.
“It’s like a language, there are many things one has to learn to make the music sound, speak, have feeling, have beauty to it, have form, say something and represent the composer,” she said.
She continues to play a variety of classical music, including Beethoven, Bach and Mozart, sometimes for neighbors in her Mercer County community.
“I want to share what I can give, I’m not good at cooking or baking, it’s like I know something beautiful and special, let me show it to you,” she said. “If I’m not playing or practicing or in touch with it, I don’t feel, like, I feel strange, like something is missing, and it’s part of who I am by now,” she said.