Pianist Mikael Darmanie to Attend 'Catskill High Peaks Festival' as First Recipient of 'Jerome Wright Scholarship' for an African American Student

Mikael Darmanie

The Catskill High Peaks Festival

The Catskill High Peaks Festival (Artistic Director, Yehuda Hanani) is a performing and teaching summer institute bringing together renowned musicians, pedagogues and exceptionally gifted international students. It is held in the majestic Northern Catskill Mountains, surrounded by the iconic scenery – mountain peaks, water falls and charming hamlets – that inspired the Hudson River painters, and that continues to inspire generations of artists, musicians and writers.  The intimate scale and highest level of talent make possible an invigorating ten days of discovery, exploration, bonding, and growth. 

First recipient of the Jerome Wright Scholarship

Pianist Mikael Darmanie began his music studies at age 12 in Trinidad and Tobago. Mikael continued his studies as a student of Clifton Matthews at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts where he received his Bachelor of Music.  He went on to receive his Master of Music and an Artist Diploma at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music under the tutelage of Awadagin Pratt. In the fall he is beginning his doctoral studies with pianist Gilbert Kalish in New York.

Mr. Darmanie has performed throughout the United States, France, Switzerland, Germany and the Caribbean.  As a soloist, he has won first prize in a number of competitions, including the Southeastern Regional Piano Competition, Bearcat Festival Chopin Competition, Eurterpe Scholarship Competition, and the North Carolina Federation of Music Clubs Competition. He also won Second Prize in the North Carolina MTNA Solo Piano Competition and was a Laureate at the New York Chopin Competition.  He has performed at several festivals, including Pianofest in the Hamptons, Art of Piano Festival, and L'Acadèmie de Musique de Sion (Switzerland).  Mr. Darmanie has also recently performed in Master Classes for Leon Fleisher, Paul Schenly, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Jerome Lowenthal, Joseph Kalichstein, and Menahem Pressler.

A versatile musician, Mr. Darmanie is equally adept as a soloist and chamber musician.  As a member of the Transverse Trio, he won First Prize in the North Carolina MTNA Chamber Music Competition. He has performed at the Apple Hill Center for Chamber Music as part of the Apple Hill Fellowship Trio.  In 2010, he performed in unique programs of Brazilian and French music for violin and piano at Lincoln Center Institute's Kenan Fellowship performance series.  In 2012, Mikael performed on the Taft Museum of Art Chamber Music Series (Cincinnati) with members of the Cincinnati Symphony.  He is a Graduate Assistant under the direction of Sandra Rivers at CCM, and works as a collaborative pianist performing a wide variety of repertoire.

Mr. Darmanie studied conducting with Serge Zehnacker, Robert Moody, and Ransom Wilson. He has given performances in North Carolina, Tennessee and Ohio conducting various piano concerti from the keyboard and has also conducted symphonic works by Bach, Brahms, Beethoven, Haydn and Liszt. He has composed a handful of works, primarily for piano, and has performed his music throughout the United States and Western Europe.