Pianist on cusp of greatness

People were impressed by his musical ability, but what amazed them even more was the North Merrick resident's perfect pitch, which is unusual in a child so young.
"He could have been on television," said Ann D'Alto, who was the North Merrick Elementary School District's music teacher at the time. "I taught him the song 'Singin¹ in the Rain,' and I could see he was so gifted and talented. Some things you always remember in your life, and I'll just never forget that picture of seeing Matthew sing in the contest."
A noted pianist herself, D'Alto, who teaches privately in Bellmore, earned her undergraduate degree from the Juilliard School. She received her teaching degree at Columbia University's Teachers College and taught there, too. She has seen many gifted pianists in her day, but D'Alto saw something special in Weissman.
After seeing him sing in the talent show, D'Alto told the boy's parents that she would like to teach him to play the piano, but the Weissmans didn't own a piano. "My family couldn't afford a piano at the time," Weissman recalled unabashedly.
Boyishly handsome, looking very much like a young leading man in a theatrical production, he said that he had had success as an actor as well. "I performed in plays since I was 5 at Fantasy Playhouse, and was a member of the On Tour Company at Calhoun," Weissman said. "I auditioned for commercials, too. They wanted me for a Lego commercial, but my mom didn't want to do the 4 a.m. shoot. My parents have always been supportive, but they're also laid back."
When Weissman was 9, his parents bought a piano and let their son, who continued to exhibit a passion for music, take lessons from D'Alto. By the time he was 11, he was practicing five to six hours a day. "Matthew took all of the challenges, doing very difficult piano pieces, and he always worked on them optimistically," said D'Alto. "And I remember he always loved to play the piano in front of people. At only 14 he won the World Piano Competition, where he competed against people from all different parts of the world."
Weissman said he could still remember how much he enjoyed the competition, which earned him a recital at Carnegie Hall. "Playing there is my favorite experience," he said. "It was thrilling to play in such a famous place, and the house was packed."
One of the competition's judges, the renowned Russian piano teacher Nina Svetlanova, a principal instructor at the Manhattan School of Music, asked Weissman if he would consider working with a new teacher. "I studied privately with her until I was 22," Weissman said. "She was big on interpretation and technique. I would concentrate on what I was going to do with the piece that made my performance different than anything else. The last thing you want to do is play black dots on a page."
Weissman went on to earn a bachelor of music degree from the Manhattan School and a master of music on a scholarship from the Brooklyn College Conservatory. He has performed on many stages, including the Hungarian Consulate at the United Nations, Steinway Hall, Tanglewood and the Aspen Music Festival.
For the past three years, Weissman has studied with noted Cuban pianist German Diez, who described Weissman as gifted. "It's unusual to find people with this amount of talent," Diez said, adding that his student is sensitive to what the composer is conveying in the music. ³He has a very strong personality in his playing and has a very personal way of playing that isn't very common,² Diez explained. ³Matthew doesn't imitate anyone. He's himself.²
Weissman recently returned to his alma mater to give a recital for the Merrick-Bellmore Community Concert Association at a benefit for the Mr. Holland's Opus Fund, a charity that assists in the rebuilding of school music programs affected by Hurricane Katrina. "I've known about Matthew for years," said Barbara Turchin, the concert association president. "I remember going to an orientation for a summer program years ago, and I heard a Chopin waltz being played. When I looked around, I saw this little kid. Matthew had only been playing for six months and he was already something special."
Turchin said that inviting Weissman to play was the association's first foray in taking a more active role in helping to develop the talents of young people on Long Island. The association hopes to help other young musicians in the future.
On a recent Saturday evening, the music of Scarlatti, Mozart, Chopin, Debussy and Liszt filled the auditorium at Calhoun High School when Weissman took the stage to share his talents and entertain the community. The large audience relished the performance, visibly moved by the talents of one of their own.
Weissman now lives in North Merrick. He said he has always liked the area, and enjoyed growing up there. He continues to teach piano privately and plans to teach at the university level someday, but for now he is busy preparing for his next competition, and his goal is to log as much performance time as possible. "What I'd love to do is tour the world and play the great concert halls," he said. "For what I do, I'm doing well, but it's a lot of hard work. Playing the piano is a discipline, but it's also a labor of love."
If you know of any Merrick or North Merrick high school graduates who have gone on to make a difference or are pursuing an unusual career, contact Laura Lane at LLane@liherald.com.
Comments about this story? LLane@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 236.