Piano prodigy at six years old
Emily Bear is just six years old, but she's already an accomplished Pianist and composer.
Steve Sanders, Pam Grimes, Mike D'Angelo, Reporter/Producer/ Photographer
May 15, 2008
CHICAGO —
How many six year olds can say they performed at the White House? Emily Bear can make that claim.
The little girl from Rockford, Ill., was born to play the piano, and she not only plays, she also composes her own music.
Some might call her a prodigy, although the "P" word is never used in the Bear home.
"This is all unknown territory for all of us," Andrea Bear, Emily's mother, said. "I've heard about kids like this--I never thought I'd have one."
And Emily is not the only talented one in the family. Her siblings, 12-year-old Benji and seven-year-old Lauren, are also talented musicians. Her brother plays the acoustic and electric guitar and her sister plays the harp and piano.
Emily's grandmothers discovered Emily's penchant for creating beautiful music. One of them, Merle Lang, is a concert pianist who made a career in teaching musically gifted children just like her granddaughter.
Four years ago, Emily's parents took a trip, leaving Grandma in charge. When she heard someone playing piano, she thought it was the eldest child.
I was overwhelmed," Langs said. "It was the baby who was two years old and one month playing a C scale with three fingers!"
Grandma Merle immediately contacted the prestigious Julliard School of Music in New York. Since then, Emily's list of instructors has grown to include many talented musicians such as Mary Sauer, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra's principal keayboardist.
The six-year-old Emily already has a full schedule lined up. She will be performing next March with the Rockford Symphony Orchestra, and she will also be playing at Ravinia in Highland Park, Ill., this September for the second time--she played there last year when she was just five years old.
If you want more of Emily's music, you can find her work on I-Tunes, or you can visit the link below to her website to buy her new CD. Please click around our Emily Bear page for additional performances and even an Emily Bear home video.
• Emily Bear's CD & Website
• Music Institute of Chicago
• Chicago Symphony Orchestra
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