Classical music might be a centuries-old form, but at the hands of concert pianist Micah McLaurin, it courses with new life. The West Ashley native first discovered his love of the piano at age eight and in no time was hailed as a wunderkind. At 14, he played his first solo performance with the Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra and by 18, attended Philadelphia’s prestigious Curtis School of Music, before earning his master’s at The Juilliard School.
Since childhood, classical music has been McLaurin’s calling—if not his obsession. But that doesn’t mean he always colors inside its notoriously rigid lines. Donning dramatic ensembles, he plays with a vibrant virtuosity all his own, be it a Chopin nocturne or an original arrangement of Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance.” Shared widely on social media, his music is at once accessible and captivating and is converting new classical enthusiasts along the way, prompting some to call him the “Liberace of the millennial generation.”
While McLaurin’s career has carried him from acclaimed performance halls to Italian palazzos, this year’s Spoleto Festival USA brings him back home. On June 9, alongside fellow Charlestonian, conductor Jonathon Heyward, McLaurin will take the Gaillard Center stage for the first time to perform Edvard Grieg’s piano concerto.