Last year, I blogged about Micah McLaurin: an amazing young local pianist. I first got to know him a few years back when, as an eleven-year-old, he played an astonishing, almost hour-long recital of advanced piano classics (from memory!) at Millennium Music, my former professional habitat. By popular demand, he repeated the following year – and he honored MM with a memorable third recital appearance there, as part of our gala “farewell” party festivities before we closed our doors forever last July.
I intended to catch you up on Micah’s progress in last week’s post about “El Sistema” coming to town – because he warmed up the crowd nicely for that Bishop Gadsden affair with wonderful renditions of music by Haydn and Rachmaninoff – plus a pair of spectacular Chopin études. But then, I figured he deserved a separate post … for, in recent months, some great things have happened in his life.
For starters, he’s moved on to a terrific new teacher: Enrique Graf – the College of Charleston’s distinguished Artist-in-Residence, and one of the nation’s most respected piano pedagogues. Graf is joyfully building upon the firm foundation Micah got from Marsha Gerber, his previous teacher (he’s only been playing for five years).
And last July, just a few months after Graf took over his musical guidance, Micah entered his first prestigious international piano competition: at the International Institute for Young Musicians (IIYM) at the University of Kansas. Many were surprised when – against all odds – he placed in a three-way tie for second place, competing against mostly older students who’ve been playing for much longer and who were more technically advanced.
So, how did he do it? With the kinds of deep, instinctive musicality and interpretive intensity that simply cannot be taught. This eighth-grader – just turned fourteen – plays with greater emotional depth and maturity than you hear from most finished adult musicians. Lots of flashy young prodigies can play all the notes, but very few of them put their hearts behind them like Micah does.
And his sense of style is uncanny: he inhabits the very soul of every composer he plays. His Haydn is happy and snappy, his Debussy is dreamy and vivid, his Schumann is spontaneous and passionate … and his Rachmaninoff will simply tear your heart out. Now, with Graf perfecting his technical skills, the sky’s the limit.
If you don’t believe me, just go to IIYM’s 2008 competition MP3 recordings – right HERE – and experience for yourselves what the fuss is all about. Remember, you’re listening to a 13-year-old … and prepare to be blown away. And he’s getting better every day. You’ve simply GOT to hear him!
Stay tuned to Eargasms for further news of his local appearances and achievements: I’ll keep you posted. And I can do no less for such a stupendously gifted young musician.
BTW, Micah really needs and deserves a quality grand piano for purposes of regular practice. He works hard at it for at least four hours most days – and nobody has to tell him to do it. But he has only an upright piano at home – and any seasoned pianist will tell you that preparing on an upright for competitions (where you always perform on grands) can be a risky business. The touch, tone and interpretive range of even the best uprights just don’t measure up. Can any of my faithful readers come up with a possible solution? Like the loan or donation of an instrument? Or providing a grand-equipped place (church, school, private home, etc.) where he can practice regularly – and that’s fairly close by his West Ashley home? Speak up! Just leave a comment below.
