A passion for piano

Sean Carmichael first local teen to be named International Artist of Shandelee

By TED WADDELL

BRADLEY, NY — Take it from the “Mambo King,” 21-year-old piano prodigy Sean Carmichael is destined for great things. A few weeks ago, Carmichael appeared at a solo performance at Kutscher’s in a grand setting beneath a huge crystal chandelier surrounded by Oriental art. In introducing the artist, Bob Roberts (aka “the Mambo King”), an emcee from the heydays of the once mighty Catskills resorts, said to the audience, “Today, you’re going to hear him play here, but in a couple of years, you’ll see him at Carnegie Hall.”

But before that, Carmichael will join the 2008 Shandelee Music Festival in its 15th anniversary season, as the only local young pianist to have ever been selected as an International Artist of Shandelee for this highly acclaimed international program, designed “for the further development and nurturing of an individual’s creativity and passion for music while enriching the cultural community of Sullivan County.”

Carmichael picked up a sax in fourth grade, and when he was “11 going on 12,” his folks twisted his arm a bit to take piano lessons. From the age of 13 until he graduated high school, he took private piano lessons from Nancy Johnston, a 1958 grad of Livingston Manor.

“The Johnstons are a real clan,” she said. “We would always get together, and my uncle Bill used to love to sing, but he couldn’t sing worth a crow.

“The essence of piano performance is touch,” she added. “You have to use your individual creative process, plus the composer’s intent, to get that sound you want, to get the nuances and the refinement in the artistry… the ultimate nuances and shades of ‘color’.”

After high school, Johnston studied at the prestigious Crane School of Music, and later was awarded a Master’s in music from Boston University. Carmichael followed in his piano teacher’s footsteps by enrolling in Crane, and will graduate in the fall. Prior to that, he studied music education and piano performance at Ithaca College.

As a kid, Carmichael liked listening to Pearl Jam, and in about 5th grade joined the Tri-Valley jazz band, later playing with musicians who would come up to Kutscher’s for summertime gigs.

“I had some improvisational jazz lessons with Peter Quinn, who did shows around the pool, and he had me transcribe 200 small jazz pieces,” recalled Carmichael. “Then I played with Speedy Garisn, a jazz sax man from Carson City, NV before Nancy [Johnston] got me into the classical (piano) repertoire.”

Along the way, Carmichael and three friends formed a band, the name of the group changing from “Mad Cow Disease ’88” to “Daisy Cutters,” until they settled on “Child Proof.” A while ago, his father picked up a circa 1917 piano from the old Pines Hotel, paying the princely sum of $600. After taking a few lessons, he sold it to a friend, but when his son got interested in playing the piano, bought the vintage back. Today, it sits in a special piano room in their stately home overlooking the Neversink River.

Asked what it feels like to perform before an audience, Carmichael replied, “A lot of times when I’m playing, it can put me in a mood where I’m by myself in a zone, outside of time in another space… it just kind of happens, it’s like you’re completely engulfed in the music. Your hands can be moving in a million different directions; you’re not thinking about technique.”

While in junior high, his parents woke him up at 5:00 a.m. for piano practice, and then after the school day was over, it was back to the black and white keys. To this day, Carmichael practices four to seven hours every day, but “sometimes I take a day off.” During the culmination of the 2008 Shandelee Music Festival, he hopes to perform Franz Liszt’s B-Minor Sonata.

“Sean is taking a great interest in Chopin and Rachmaninoff,” said Johnston. “He is a natural talent, and as a student is very rewarding and enjoyable. He’s always very humble and totally respectful, with totally supportive parents who went the extra thousand miles to realize his talents and abilities.”

On Monday, July 28, Carmichael and Johnston are scheduled to be guests on Gandalf’s “Afternoon Classics” over the airwaves of WJFF Radio at 12:00 noon.

Shandelee Music Festival 2008 Schedule

Saturday, August 2, 8:00 p.m.

La Vita Williams Guitar Duo, featuring Bret Williams & Giacomo La Vita

Tuesday, August 5, 8:00 p.m.

“An Evening of Chamber Music,” featuring Aiman Mussakhajayeva, violin and Cullan Bryant, piano.

Thursday, August 7, 8:00 p.m.

Mika Rannali, solo piano.

Saturday, August 9, 8:00 p.m.

“An Evening of Chamber Music,” featuring The Jupiter Symphony Chamber Players.

Thursday, August 14 at 8:00 p.m. and Saturday, August 16 at 8:00 p.m.

International Artists Of Shandelee, solo pianists.

Admission: $25 regular, $23 seniors/students. For more information visit www.shandelee.org or call 845/439-3277.