Jeffrey Siegel is a renowned classical pianist who gives "Keyboard Conversations" performances where he plays and discusses pieces of classical music to make the art of listening more accessible. During the performances, he provides background on the pieces before playing them in full and taking questions. Despite his father's doubts, Siegel pursued music, graduating from The Juilliard School and having a successful international career performing with prestigious orchestras and conductors. Siegel aims to introduce younger audiences to classical music and its lasting appeal through his performances.

1. Ambassador
Friday, Nov. 20, 2015
Page 7
The Tangerine
Features
Event Information:
Location: Munson Williams Proctor Arts Institute, Museum of Art Auditorium
310 Genesee St, Utica, NY 13502 (315) 797-0000
Date: Saturday, November 21, 2015, 8 p.m.
Ticket Price: All general admission $42.50
The Magazine Writing Profile Series is a weekly series that features artists
performing in the Utica area, but not on the Utica College campus. Stories are
written in magazine style, and submitted to The Tangerine by UC students in
JLM 363—Magazine Article Writing.
Magazine Writing Profile
The
Series
“I think people want to be moved,
transported, and communicated
with on a very meaningful level as
great music can,” said Jeffrey Siegel.
“I am an ambassador, if you will for
great music and being able to provide
the listeners with this very special
experience with great music in a
listening, enriching, and a musically
accessible way.”
Jeffrey Siegel’s Keyboard
Conversations are designed for
him to play great classical music
for his audience while speaking to
them about the piece of music they
are listening to. By doing so, Siegel
believes that he is making the art
of listening to classical music more
“user-friendly.” During his Keyboard
Conversations, Siegel selects specific
pieces that he has mastered with the
intention on breaking it down for the
audience. Siegel begins many of his
conversations with a brief history on
the piece, which gives the listeners
and opportunity to envision the story
behind the music. He then plays the
piece of music in its entirety and at
the end, allows the audience to ask
questions about the piece.
Siegel has paved the way for
audiences of all ages to better
understand the eloquence and
technique behind many famous
musical pieces written by great
composers. Siegel travels throughout
the U.S. and to several other
countries to share with his fans the
very same concepts that made him so
passionate about the music he plays.
Born into a musical family in
Chicago, Siegel believed that not
becoming a musician or learning
about music was “to be a fish out of
water.” He began to study music at
the age of five then gained a greater
focus on music while in high school
and performed many concerts in his
late teenage years. Siegel’s father,
who was also a musician, did not
want him to pursue music as a career
because it would be hard to make a
living out it. “Wanting to be an actor
or a dancer or a musician is one thing
but being able to do it and earn your
living at it is a very different thing,”
said Siegel. “I’ve been very fortunate
to be a musician and to give concerts
and to make this my way of life.”
Despite his father’s wishes,
after graduating high school, Siegel
attended and graduated from The
Julliard School in New York City.
After graduating The Julliard
School, Siegel continued on to
become an internationally acclaimed
solo pianist, playing with some of the
world’s finest orchestras. Siegel has
playedinternationallywithorchestras
such as the London Symphony,
Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestras,
and Moscow State Symphony, to
name a few. He has also played with
orchestras within the United States
such as the New York Philharmonic,
Los Angeles Philharmonic, and
Chicago Symphony Orchestra, to
name a few. In addition to playing
with prominent orchestras, Siegel
has also played with many prominent
conductors such as Zubin Mehta, Sir
Simon Rattle, Leonard Slatkin, and
many more. He also recorded several
albums of classical pieces, his latest
being The Romantic Music of Chopin
and The Miracle of Mozart.
Learning to play classical pieces
at the same level as Jeffrey Siegel
is not something that can happen
overnight or be taught through a few
piano lessons. Playing an instrument
such as the piano requires much time
and discipline, which is why many
great composers began at such young
ages. Siegel defied the odds creating
a career around his passion for music
and decided to share it with the world
so that others can be inspired to
appreciate and understand classical
music. He has created a fan base that
has spread throughout the United
States as well as internationally of
people who are in awe of how great a
soloist he is.
“A genius musician is somebody
who can prove their own quality
through the depth of their lived
experience and look forward into a
sonic fabric where nothing yet exists
and create something of such classic
beauty that it lasts for centuries,”
said Dr. Michael Woods, Professor
of Music at Hamilton College. “I
don’t question that he does this and
I’ll tell you why. If he didn’t possess
this quality, why in the world would
he even go to the extent to evolve
conversations around each one of
those pieces?”
Dr. Woods brought up a very
interesting observation of Siegel’s
playing skills that focused on the
way his hands moved and looked
on the piano. A way of playing the
piano that is “all his own”, Dr. Woods
mentions that Siegel’s hands look
a little heavy, thick and muscular
adding that he does not move his
hands off of the piano unless he has
to. This sets Siegel apart because
he plays with his hands flatter than
most classical pianists do, allowing
a specific amount of weight to his
touch that adds quality to everything
he plays. “He is a walking, talking
keyboard encyclopedia,” said Dr.
Woods.“Only a person of tremendous
magnitude would take on such varied
masterpieces to preserve.”
Although Siegel is highly
achieved in his skill, he believes that
he has not yet reached his greatest
achievement but says that his goal is
to try to bring the joy of music to as
many people as he can. It is a part
of his goal to create an inviting and
exciting introduction to classical
music, exposing younger audiences
to the listening experiences they are
missing out on. He mentions that
classical music has an appeal that
will remain evergreen amongst his
audiences.
“Classical music is the best that
has ever been and what it has to say,
to offer and to communicate never
goes out of style,” Siegel said. “My
goal is to continue to bring these
programs to the people.”
Ambassador
By Bria Hilliard
The