By Mel Rubenstein

Contributing Writer

Of all the previous Volunteer of the Month columns, this one sets a record because it features the youngest volunteer to date.

My wife and I have attended many concerts at Oasis, so it was not unusual when she told me that we were going to another one. For some reason neither of us had read any details about this concert before we got there, but we expected to see another of a long line of renowned musicians. Little did we know what we were about to see, with Kaelem Michel, a 12-year-old, playing pieces from Chopin, Mozart, Brahms, Rachmaninov and others, as well as a piece he composed. And he did this magnificently without referring to music sheets. All of this, and he had only taken piano lessons for three years. We were watching the definition of a child prodigy.

Kaelem was born in Busan, South Korea to his mother, Heejung and father, Gregory Michel. Heejung said, “South Korea is a very musical country, so when I was growing up one of my favorite things to do was to play the piano and sing. Years later, when I was pregnant with Kaelem, I had an accident and broke my leg. I had to spend the next two months off of my feet. So, to pass the time, I listened to music. To this day, I believe that my baby was moving inside me to the sounds of the music.”

About a year and a half after Kaelem was born the Michel family moved to Clinton, New York to be near Gregory’s parents. They then moved to Manlius, before settling in Fayetteville. After a few months of Pre-K in Manlius, Kaelem attended Montessori School of Syracuse up to sixth grade and he will be entering seventh grade at Wellwood Middle school in Fayetteville this fall.

When he was eight, Heejung started teaching Kaelem piano on the keyboard with finger number stickers on it at home, however, it was not easy for both of them so she realized that she will need to find a piano instructor for him. He began taking Suzuki piano lessons with Jody Brown right after he turned nine. In about six months, Brown said that Kaelem was way ahead of schedule and suggested he was ready for advanced instruction.

Patricia DeAngelis, became Kaelem’s next piano teacher. After just six weeks he was at a level that DeAngelis had never seen in such a short time, in over 60 years of teaching and concertizing. When she complimented Kaelem’s beginning instructor for giving him such a solid start, Brown said, “I didn’t do it, Kaelem did it all.” Soon, Kaelem’s younger brother showed great prowess playing the clarinet. He also has a younger sister who has studied piano for a year and “shows signs.”

With the Michel family in need of financial assistance to buy a quality piano, Patricia DeAngelis sent a recommendation letter and a few video clips of Kaelem’s performances to the Carrie Lazarus Fund for Extraordinary Talent to see if the fund might support the purchase of piano. With support from the fund, and contributions from Kaelem’s extended family, a new baby grand Boston piano was purchased at Artist Piano’s in November 2015.

Kaelem was the first place winner in the 2016 Central New York Association of Music Teachers Junior Advanced Piano Competition. In 2017 Kaelem competed in the Lyra Music Competition in New York City as the youngest in the Junior Division and won a first place $1,000 scholarship for the Lyra Music Workshop and Festival at Smith College, Northampton, Massachusetts. He is also a recipient of a Senator John A. DeFrancisco CNY Arts Young Artist Scholarship.

Kaelem has performed at many venues. When the family took a trip to San Diego to visit friends, he and his brother gave a concert at the Athenaeum Music and Art Library in La Jolla, CA. Those in attendance were amazed at the performance. But, to Kaelem, the best part of the trip was when a family friend they were visiting took them to see their private jet airplane and took Kaelem, his brother and sister up for a flight. Kaelem was sitting in the co-pilot’s seat and he had a chance to actually fly the plane, for a few minutes. That is an experience he still talks about.

With all of the achievements and awards, Kaelem is most proud of the times he has volunteered to play at numerous venues. Patricia DeAngelis has been active in outreach volunteer performances for her students and Kaelem has participated in these recitals at places like the Oaks, Everson Museum, the Upstate Cancer Center, the Liverpool Sr. Assisted Living Center and Maple Downs in Fayetteville. He also has performed at the Barnes and Noble and Piano & Organ Center in North Syracuse for a Fund Raiser for the CNY Association of Music Teachers.

When people walk into the Cancer Center and hear this beautiful music, and see these “kids” playing it, they smile and just say, “Amazing!”

When my wife and I heard him that day at OASIS, we simply did what others have done. We smiled and said, “Amazing!” 

Kaelem’s interests include drawing, bicycling, aeronautics and making music with his brother, Aiden, a clarinetist. And he enjoys composing music.

To recommend someone with a stellar record of volunteering to be featured in this column contact Mel Rubenstein at [email protected] or 315-682-7162.