Last year, Brendan Kavanagh surprised his audience by taking a detour from his usual boogie-woogie piano style. While performing at a public piano, he spotted a passerby carrying a guitar. He called her over, asking, “Do you do a bit of blues?” and whether she knew any Adele. To his surprise, she revealed that she was a classical singer. Never one to pass up an opportunity for collaboration, Brendan quickly found Schubert’s ‘Ave Maria’ in his sheet music and began to play.
The singer, Jessica Norton, delivered a stunning rendition of the classical piece with her powerful voice that will absolutely dazzle Music Man readers. Even Brendan was amazed by her perfect pronunciation of the Latin lyrics of the song. The video of this impromptu performance stunned online viewers as it drew in over 9M views. One viewer commented on how the performance moved them to tears with its beauty, calling it “Absolutely moving and beautiful beyond words.”
This is not the first time Brendan has proved his musical versatility. Whilst his YouTube channel revolves mostly around blues and boogie-woogie piano, he clearly also has a strong foundation in classical piano. He showcased his skills in both of these styles in one sitting when he stumbled upon a classical pianist playing a public piano in London. Impressed by her skills, he asked if she knew Handel. When she didn’t, he wowed the crowd by demonstrating the impressive classical piece himself.
The surprises didn’t stop there. Brendan then asked if she was familiar with boogie-woogie. When she admitted she wasn’t, he wowed the crowd by blending Handel’s Passacaglia with an improvised boogie-woogie performance. His playing drew in cheers from the crowd, and the classical pianist was amazed by his skills as she danced along to the boogie-woogie tune. Music Man fans will be amazed when they see how effortlessly he transitions from one style to another.
Onlookers’ reactions to Brendan’s ability to navigate multiple styles of piano playing just prove the power that music can have over an audience. Whether he’s moving people to tears with a classical piece, as with his collaboration with Jessica Norton, or making a crowd cheer and dance with a boogie-woogie performance, it is clear that his talent brings beauty and joy to those who experience it. His spontaneous collaborations with strangers are sure to charm Music Man readers, as it reminds us that the joy of music should be shared in order to truly be appreciated.
If you would like to hear more from this talented pianist, you can subscribe to his YouTube Channel for more incredible music. You can also follow him on Facebook and Instagram to stay updated with his latest performances and collaborations.