Renowned Pianist John Schmidt to perform in the Cannon Activities Center with Cellist Stephen Sharp Nelson on February 17
New age classical pianist John Schmidt has been making waves on YouTube (and in concert halls around the country) for his compositions with cellist Steven Sharp Nelson. The duo, under the name ThePianoGuys, have amassed millions of hits with their mash-ups of classical and popular music. On February 17, 2012, they will bring their unique and entertaining style to BYU–Hawaii.
John Schmidt has performed at BYU–Hawaii many times, and this will be his second appearance in as many years with Steven Sharp Nelson. Jacquie Alisa, coordinator of Performance Series events at the university, said that the duo was picked to perform not only for their talent, but also for their ability to entertain and interact with the audience. They will perform in the Cannon Activities Center instead of the McKay Auditorium, to accommodate what is expected to be a large audience.
According to their website part of their purpose is to inspire young people through “encourage[ing] them to pursue life to its fullest and to make good music an integral part of their lives.” With this in mind, Schmidt and Nelson will be hosting a “talk story” session before the performance in the Aloha center Ballroom at 11:00 a.m. to noon on February 17. In addition to the “talk story,” the concert is the main event for the Hawaii Especially for Youth happening that same week at BYU–Hawaii.
John Schmidt and Steven Sharp Nelson have been performing together for two years; they were both established artists individually before joining forces as The Piano Guys. Schmidt has eight albums and millions of song downloads to his name, along with original piano scores and a television special. Nelson has performed with the China Philharmonic Orchestra, and one of his recent symphonies was featured on the number one classical podcast and has over 38 million downloads. They both seamlessly combine humor and entertainment with unique inspiration and spirituality in their performances.
Box office will open at 6:30 p.m. on the day of the performance, and the doors will open at 7:00 p.m. Pre-show begins at 7:30 p.m.
Ticket prices – on sale today at the Aloha Center Information Desk: $5 for students with ID (any student – university, high school, etc)
$7 for PCC/BYU–Hawaii employees, military personnel and senior citizens
$10 for general admission
Visit their websites to get to know them better:
John Schmidt
Steven Sharp Nelson