Pianist finds outlet at festival

New age composer-pianist Jeffrey Michael hits the Florida arts and crafts circuit to peddle his wares. This weekend, Michael performs and sells CDs at a booth amid painters, sculptors and potterymakers at the St. Pete Beach Art Festival.

"I think people really like to interact with the composer and musician rather than just going to a store and buying the CD after hearing it on the radio," he said. "You can tell them stories about why you wrote the song. It's very personable."

Michael, 24, who moved to St. Petersburg from Michigan in November, sets up shop nearly every weekend at festivals run by Plantation-based Howard Alan Events. At an electronic keyboard, he plays selections from five self-produced CDs, a mix of his own swoony tunes and covers of movie music and holiday favorites.

"A lot of people will buy all five (CDs)," he said. "I have specials; if you buy all five, it's 50 bucks. You can't beat that. It's all similar music."

Michael has sold about 40,000 CDs at festivals and through his Web site at www.fireheartmusic.com. He said his average take in a two-day festival is from $4,000 to $5,000, depending on the weather.

"I want to get into concerts," Michael said. "But to play a concert hall, you have to have a fan base. You have to find a way to develop your fan base. That's why this is a perfect outlet for me."

The festival runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. today and Sunday on Corey Avenue in St. Pete Beach. Free admission.

Competition lacks contestants

Where are all the classical pianists? Specifically, pianists age 18 to 29 who are U.S. citizens and can play works of Bach, Beethoven and other standard repertoire?

That's the question being asked by members of the National Society of Arts and Letters.

Each year, the society sponsors a competition in art, dance, literature, drama or music. This year, the competition is in piano, and the Clearwater-Tampa Bay chapter planned a competition this month, with a $500 prize plus an all-expenses paid trip to the $10,000 national competition in May in Boca Raton.

But the local competition was called off when the chapter couldn't come up with enough contestants.

"We beat the bushes, but there were just no eligible contestants," said chairwoman Barbara Branscum, who worked with music professors and teachers in the chapter, whose territory goes from Tampa Bay to Orlando to Naples. "We're having this problem all across the country."

Branscum turned up some good pianists, but most were not American citizens. "At USF, the outstanding pianists were from Canada, China, Bulgaria and Korea," she said. "The qualified American students had problems with the difficult repertoire. It was very disappointing."

Annual Verdi concert

Choruses, arias, ensembles and overtures from Rigoletto, Nabucco, La Forza del Destino and other Verdi operas, as well as movements from his Requiem, are on the agenda at 8 p.m. today and Thursday in the annual Verdi concert by Sarasota Opera. Tickets: $13-$33. Toll-free 1-888-673-7212 or (941) 366-8450.

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