Teenage Piano Prodigy Ethan Bortnick Brings A Night of Pop Hits, Broadway Showtunes and More to The Ridgefield Playhouse on 4/8

The true definition of a musical prodigy, 16-year old Ethan Bortnick discovered he had the uncanny ability to hear a song once and play it back verbatim when he first started learning the piano at the tender age of three. Nowadays rubbing shoulders with Jay Leno and Oprah Winfrey! Ethan Bortnick also holds the Guinness World Record for 'The World's Youngest Solo Musician to Headline His Own Concert Tour'. His latest tour will make a stop at The Ridgefield Playhouse when Ethan Bortnick performs on Saturday, April 8th at 8 p.m.

This Ridgefield Magazine Broadway and Cabaret Series performance and Northeast Builders of Ridgefield, LLC Emerging Artist Series, partially underwritten by Adam Broderick Salon and Spa and Benchmark Senior Living at Ridgefield Crossings, will include crowd favorites ranging from The Beatles and Elton John to Motown and Michael Jackson, along with classical and Jazz favorites, recent top hits, Broadway show tunes and his own original songs. Not many musicians can say they've made TV appearances, played their own compositions and toured all over the world, in countries including Japan, Brazil and South Africa, let alone doing it under the age of 10. He's not only a talented performer though, Bortnick is a philanthropist and has raised over $40,000,000 for charities internationally. Make it a great night out with dinner and a show - visit Bareburger (38 Danbury Road, Ridgefield) and enjoy a complimentary glass of house wine or draft beer with your entrée when you show your ticket! Media sponsor is CPBN Connecticut Public Broadcasting Network.

Ethan Bortnick's celebrity fans include Jay Leno and Oprah Winfrey, and he has performed with the likes of Barbra Streisand, Tony Bennett, Celine Dion, and Carlos Santana, just to name a few. He's also performed in the highly successful Kidzbop Tours. In 2010, Ethan was recognized as the youngest musician to create and host his own award-winning PBS concert special that aired more than 600 times on Public Television stations across the country. Three years later, he starred in Anything is Possible, a full-length feature film for which he also co-wrote all the songs and scored all the background music. Impressed by Ethan's incredible talent, Celine Dion has stated that she is amazed by his song writing. Quincy Jones added, "Ethan's imagination and ability to create music from stories is unbelievable."

When he was just three years old, the Hollywood, Florida native asked his parents for piano lessons and discovered an uncanny ability to hear a song once and play it back note for note - the musical equivalent of a photographic memory. He soaked up the music of such diverse artists and composers as Beethoven, Mozart, jazz pianist Bill Evans, Little Richard, Billy Joel and Elton John, and began creating original compositions at age five. A few years later, Ethan began making television appearances and touring, connecting with audiences in countries such as Japan, Brazil, Canada, South Africa and Australia. Ethan has not only moved audiences throughout the world as a captivating musician, but he is also a driven humanitarian, dedicated to combining his musical pursuits with his charity work. When Ethan was five, his younger brother had three heart surgeries and that emotional time inspired him to use his musical talents to benefit charity.

Performing is only part of what makes Ethan such a special young man. At age five, after his younger brother had gone through three heart surgeries, Ethan was inspired to use his musical talents to benefit charitable endeavors. As a driven humanitarian, Ethan is dedicated to combining his musical pursuits with his charity work. When Ethan was five, his younger brother had three heart surgeries and that emotional time inspired him to use his musical talents to benefit charity. To date, he has raised more $40 million for non-profit organizations around the world, sharing the stage with many legendary artists such as Elton John, Andrea Bocelli, Beyoncé and Josh Groban. He was also the youngest artist to participate in the star-studded line-up that recorded "We Are The World 25 for Haiti" in 2010. As a globally acclaimed headline performer, television and film star, music composer and humanitarian, Ethan boasts a rare -and powerful -combination of talent, maturity and compassion for someone his age. There has never been anyone like him in modern music history.

For tickets ($50), call the box office at 203-438-5795, or visit ridgefieldplayhouse.org. The Ridgefield Playhouse is a non-profit performing arts center located at 80 East Ridge, parallel to Main Street, Ridgefield, CT.

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