My husband and I got to go along with my sister-in-law and niece to a Jon Schmidt concert last weekend.

Have you heard of Jon Schmidt?

He is a Utah favorite, so I’ve heard about him ever since I’ve lived here.  If you haven’t had the opportunity of hearing Jon Schmidt, you really should look him up.  His music is beautiful and thrilling, “the sort of music that stops you dead and demands that you listen,” according to one fan.

His concert was so much fun because he is wildly energetic with the piano!  He pounded keys and slammed his feet on the pedals with an intensity that alarmed me!  I was just waiting for the piano to fall apart, but, of course, it never did.  He played upside down, standing up, and (occasionally) sitting down.  He used his arms and his head on the keys.  Really!

Also performing with him was Steve Nelson, a cellist/percussionist with a great sense of humor!  Here they are together performing a beautiful arrangement of Taylor Swift’s Love Story (a song which is usually gag inducing for me, but here it’s lovely) and Coldplay’s Viva la Vida.

The highlight of the concert for me was actually a teaser.  He performed a few minutes of a piece he’s still working on called “Rock”maninoff.  It’s Rachmaninoff’s Prelude in C# minor all rocked out, with an accompanying electric guitar!  Fabulous, and I’m definitely buying his CD when that song comes out.

In addition to performing, Schmidt also sells sheet music (which is wildly fun to play!).  He even has some free MP3 and sheet music downloads at www.jonschmidt.com.