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Tuesday, September 19, 2023
BRINGING ALL THAT JAZZ TO PITTSBURGH: Renowned Pianist Matthew Whitaker Debuts as a Musical Director in Public’s Premiere of ‘Billy Strayhorn: Something to Live For’
onstagepittsburgh.com: The students flowing into the auditorium knew they were in the presence of someone extraordinary as they sat down facing Matthew Whitaker. He was in his comfort zone, at a keyboard, ready to impart words of wisdom and display his amazing jazz hands.
What they didn’t know was, they were in for some party time, too.
I love seeing arts in the community around me and I feel like it serves as a reminder of why we do what we do every day. This is a story about a musician who clearly loves what he does and wants to share his passions for those around him which I think is incredibly admirable. He is also fighting against odds and proving to people that a disability is not roadblock that will stop you from doing what you love. Matthew Whitaker is showing what he loves to those around him which I think is especially important for the younger generations in our community and it is clear that the people interviewed in this article are passionate about the arts and finding new ways to incorporate it into their daily lives and culture within the community. I think this article also touches on the fact that people we look up to are just that, they are people who also want to effect change within their community.
I went to see Billy Strayhorn: Something to Live For, and it was really a treat to see, and especially hear Matthew Whitaker’s breathtaking arrangements of Billy Strayhorn’s music. It was clear to me that he had a real understanding of said music. It’s also crazy how young he is, to be a music director for such an impressive show at 22 is really inspiring. I think it’s also quite heartwarming how Matthew shares his love of the music he’s working on with the students at Westinghouse, he clearly has a deep passion for his music that is quite rare these days. All in all, Mr. Whitaker is a quite inspiring pianist, to be so accomplished at 22 is especially cool, and if you get a chance to see Billy Strayhorn, do it, the music is wonderful and there is a fight scene that was done so well that I’m still thinking about it 2 days later.
2 comments:
I love seeing arts in the community around me and I feel like it serves as a reminder of why we do what we do every day. This is a story about a musician who clearly loves what he does and wants to share his passions for those around him which I think is incredibly admirable. He is also fighting against odds and proving to people that a disability is not roadblock that will stop you from doing what you love. Matthew Whitaker is showing what he loves to those around him which I think is especially important for the younger generations in our community and it is clear that the people interviewed in this article are passionate about the arts and finding new ways to incorporate it into their daily lives and culture within the community. I think this article also touches on the fact that people we look up to are just that, they are people who also want to effect change within their community.
I went to see Billy Strayhorn: Something to Live For, and it was really a treat to see, and especially hear Matthew Whitaker’s breathtaking arrangements of Billy Strayhorn’s music. It was clear to me that he had a real understanding of said music. It’s also crazy how young he is, to be a music director for such an impressive show at 22 is really inspiring. I think it’s also quite heartwarming how Matthew shares his love of the music he’s working on with the students at Westinghouse, he clearly has a deep passion for his music that is quite rare these days. All in all, Mr. Whitaker is a quite inspiring pianist, to be so accomplished at 22 is especially cool, and if you get a chance to see Billy Strayhorn, do it, the music is wonderful and there is a fight scene that was done so well that I’m still thinking about it 2 days later.
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