Island Arts would like to thank Morgan East, the widow of Charles Pratt, for her generous summer loan of the wonderful Yamaha C7 Concert Grand piano that belonged to her husband. We honor Charles by including four performances that feature the piano in the season’s schedule—three classical piano concert and a jazz concert.
According to his obituary in “Seven Days”, Charles “was an extraordinary musician with great depth and range in his playing. He was always kind, with great wit and humor, a true gentleman.
Charles was born with the music in him. At age 3, he started picking out tunes on the piano. By the time he was 6, lessons had started. He played piano all through high school and college, along with baseball and other sports.
He performed classical, jazz, ragtime, boogie-woogie, Broadway, old favorites and new age. He was one of the first-prize winners in the 1973 Frank Sinatra Musical Performance Awards Competition. …He welcomed all to join him in making music.”
A chance meeting of his future wife in the Kilgore General Store in 1989 led to his becoming a resident of Vermont for the rest of his life. Two of our performers this summer—Andric Severance and Caleb Bronz appearing in the Andric Severance Trio—are privileged to have worked with Charles.
