Archive

Orangeville student lauded as a ‘piano prodigy’ releases album

October 26, 2023   ·   2 Comments

By JAMES MATTHEWS, LOCAL JOURNALISM INITIATIVE REPORTER

Special things happen because of Valentine’s Day dances.

Jonathan Neville runs Dance Orangeville with his wife, the writer Michelle Grierson. He was putting posters up at Windrush Estate Winery to advertise a Valentine’s dance put on by his academy.

“I had no dream of what lay ahead,” he said.

Conversation led to an invitation for his step-son, Orangeville District Secondary School student Taras Petryk, to perform in the estate’s concert hall.

“And that lead to him recording an album there,” Neville said. “All original compositions.”

Petryk had an album release concert at the winery on Oct. 22. The album’s called “My Mother is an Ocean” and was recorded with the help of his father, Bohdan, and his uncle, who is also named Taras.

The 15-year-old Taras Petryk has already performed a number of shows.

And it all came from such simple beginnings.

Neville said he’d shown his step-son some of the basics of the ivory. He taught him two little tunes and introduced Taras to a blues scale.

The lad blossomed from that point.

“I play piano, including Lizst, Rachmaninoff, Debussy,” Neville said. “But his piano artistry is far beyond mine, and the speed at which he has grown is astonishing.

“I only taught him two tiny tunes and the blues scale. The next day he showed me what you can do with the blues scale. Then, over a couple years, he showed me what can be done with piano by following inspiration, truly playing with heart.”

The album, “My Mother is an Ocean,” will be on Spotify, Deezer, Tidal, iTunes, TikTok, and available to share on Instagram as music is can be added to social media posts.

Marilyn Field, who conducted a choir at the 100th anniversary of the Nobel Peace Prize when she sang with former Beatle Paul McCartney, lauded Taras as a musical “genius” and a “prodigy.”

“I agree,” said Neville.

Readers Comments (2)