MPAC Announces The Piano Guys Plus Free Events

MPAC has several free events going on July 24-26; plus Piano Guys August 9

July 24:
Eco Del Sur - At Morristown Green at 12:30 pm (Co-presented by Morris Arts)
Eco Del Sur consists of South American artists from Chile, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru who perform ancient Andean music as well as contemporary music from different Latin American regions.
http://www.ecodelsur.net/index.html

July 24: Carlos Pavan - At Vail Lawn at 7:30 pm
Classical guitarist Carlos Pavan is a performer and composer of contemporary classical music (guitar, strings, wind, brass and chamber). He has performed at well-renowned venues such as Lincoln Center, New York City Center, Tango USA and Merkin Hall.
http://www.carlospavan.info/

July 25: Christian Schuller - At 70 South Gallery at 7:30 pm
Documentary filmmaker Christian Schuller discusses the process of filmmaking. Joining him will be composer Aedan McEvoy, who will perform and talk about how to write a soundtrack for a film and the collaboration between composer and filmmaker.

July 26: The Greatest Showman - At MPAC at 10:30 am and 7:30 pm
Hugh Jackman leads an all-star cast in this bold and original musical filled with infectious showstopping performances inspired by the story of P.T. Barnum's rise to fame. Co-starring Zac Efron, Michelle Williams, Rebecca Ferguson and Zendaya. Rated PG

The Piano Guys bring their mix of classical and pop music to Mayo Performing Arts Center on Thursday, August 9 at 8 pm. Tickets are $69-$149.

Hailing from Utah, The Piano Guys became an Internet sensation by way of their immensely successful series of strikingly original self-made music videos. They've made over 65 since joining forces in early 2011, including their hit video, an innovative 10-handed version of One Direction's "What Makes You Beautiful." But it's the Guys' highly original blend of classical music with pop that has really been the cause of an Internet phenomenon that brought them to their major label self-titled debut album released on Sony Music Masterworks in 2012. This release was followed by their sophomore album, The Piano Guys 2, holiday album, A Family Christmas, Wonders, The Piano Guys Live! and recently released Uncharted album all available now on Portrait, an imprint of Sony Music Masterworks.

The Piano Guys have performed everywhere from The Tonight Show with Jay Leno to The Today Show as well have been featured in The New York Times, Fast Company, Buzzfeed, People Magazine, Mashable and so on.

But just who are The Piano Guys? Actually, there's only one piano player, Jon Schmidt, and one other instrumentalist, Steven Sharp Nelson, on cello. Yet the other two - Paul Anderson and Al van der Beek - are equally significant members of the group. The Piano Guys' name comes from Anderson's piano store in St. George, Utah, which was called The Piano Guys. Looking for an alternative to low-yield conventional advertising, Anderson devised a Facebook promotional page and YouTube channel featuring the most famous pianist he could find - local pianist, Jon Schmidt. A self-described "New Age Classical" player, Schmidt was indeed well-established locally, thanks to eight albums and seven piano books of his song transcriptions. He also performed concerts throughout Utah, one of which featured a young guest artist, Steven Sharp Nelson, who adventurously combined traditional cello playing with percussion effects. "I was 15 when I met Jon and started playing with him," Nelson recalls. "I had to get a ride to shows! But we've had a great brotherhood that's now lasted 20 years."

When Nelson moved from Salt Lake City to the suburb of Sandy, providence, if not serendipity, intervened. Al van der Beek, who came from a musical family and played several instruments and sang, lived down the street from Nelson's new place and helped him move. "I suggested we 'collaborate' sometime and he hesitated because I think he didn't want to disappoint me if I was horrible!" says van der Beek, laughing. "But," says Nelson, "I checked out his home studio and started playing some of my unfinished songs, and he told me what the titles should be and their meaning - and finished them on the spot! The guy is music incarnate!" In The Piano Guys, then, van der Beek is charged with the studio operations, as well as co-writing and some vocal texturing, music arranging, "and a lot of percussion work," adds Nelson.

Anderson was so taken by the music of Schmidt and Nelson that he closed his store at the end of 2011 in order to devote himself to the group, which only became a full-time operation in February 2012. "I had to let the piano store go!" he says, laughing. "Some of the pianos are still in storage and have been used in the videos."

The spectacular ThePianoGuys videos, which have so far netted over 1.2 billion YouTube views (their YouTube channel also has over 5.4 million subscribers), are essentially divined by Anderson. "Jon had built up a fan base for 20 years, and we used that as a springboard for getting exposure," Anderson notes, "but it's all about the merits of the videos, and share-ability. People see them and then share them with their friends on Facebook, and before you know it, they can take off."

And sure enough, The Piano Guys have over 1.6 million Facebook fans who have shared videos like "Michael Meets Mozart," which features over 100 tracks of cello textures, including a deep bass drum sound created by tapping on the cello body; a shaker sound made by Nelson rubbing rosin on his bow; and a record-scratch noise caused by his scraping a quarter on the strings.

"We try to put a 'wow factor' in every video," says Anderson, promising that future videos for The Piano Guys tracks will likewise factor in plenty of wow.

"Lots of parents are using our music to show their kids how fun classical music can be and motivate them to learn instruments," says Schmidt. The Piano Guys' cover song mash-ups, adds Nelson, have become "a great way to introduce ourselves and make an instant connection with our audience as a classic spin on new stuff - and a new spin on classic stuff."

"We're all spiritual guys, and the only way to properly explain it is not to take credit!" says Nelson. "It really seems meant to be."

Mayo Performing Arts Center, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, presents a wide range of programs that entertain, enrich, and educate the diverse population of the region and enhance the economic vitality of Northern New Jersey. The 2018-2019 season is made possible, in part, by a grant the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, as well as support received from the F.M. Kirby Foundation and numerous corporations, foundations and individuals. The Mayo Performing Arts Center has been designated a Major Presenting Organization by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts. Mayo Performing Arts Center was named 2016 Outstanding Historic Theatre by the League of Historic American Theatres, and is ranked in the top 50 mid-sized performing arts centers by Pollstar Magazine.

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