Elizabeth News: “I might be in a piano reality show…”

From Elizabeth, Mike’s daughter:

Hi everyone!

I thought I’d share an awesome trailer that just came out for a developing show called “The Real Pianists of the Hamptons”. This footage is from Pianofest, a piano festival I have attended for the past two years in East Hampton, NY. It was very small, with only 14 students, and we got to know each other very well. One of the alumni decided last year that the festival provided more than enough subject matter for its own reality show, and he filmed us frequently, both at concerts and at the house we stayed at. For those of you bored by catty women yelling at each other and scripted romances, this may just become your new favorite program. I appear several times in the trailer (thankfully saying nothing embarrassing… at least so far) and I am looking forward to the first episode’s release, especially because I don’t remember exactly what events were caught on camera. The Hamptons are an incredible location, with some of the best beaches in the country and some of the most bizarrely expensive clothing stores I’ve ever seen ($875 for a tank top? Really??) Also, this show will feature at least five or ten minutes of incredible classical piano performances per episode. Check out this trailer and stay tuned for the actual show’s release!

I just finished spring term at college. My freshman year was wonderful but I’m also quite glad to be done with dorm rooms for (hopefully) ever. The accommodations were miniature. I will definitely miss the community of my hall, however, which was one of the most tight-knit groups of sixty people I’ve ever seen (we had a welcome-back-to-school pillow fight at the beginning of winter term that must have had over 90% attendance). To occupy myself over summer and make some money for school I’m leading some fun nature camps for kids, where they will learn how to make fire without matches, make wild edible feasts, and play sneaking games in the woods after we camouflage ourselves with mud. Pretty much an ideal summer. I’m also very excited about the new repertoire I’m starting, including Ravel’s Jeux d’eau, the Prokofiev toccata and a beautiful Mozart sonata (number 12 in F major, K. 332).

Posted: December 15, 2012