Although maybe not as colorful as Schroeder banging away at the keys in one of the world’s best-known cartoons, Charles M. Schulz’s famous “Peanuts” gang series, La Jolla pianist Michael Rabinovich is equally talented.
He proved it when he won first place at the recent 2007 Goodlin Scholarship competition in the senior piano division (ages 14 to 18 years old).
“It was a surprise to receive the call from the chairman of the committee. When he told me about my win, I responded, ‘Are you serious?'” Michael said. “I was ecstatic, and I did not think I could compete with bigger and stronger pianists, but for all the hard work and sacrifices of my free time, I think it has paid big-time.”
Michael, 14, who attends Muirlands Middle School, was awarded a scholarship in the amount of $3,200 for his efforts. He also won in the junior division of the Goodlin Scholarship in 2005 and played in the county and regional level of the Bach Festival in 2005.
“When I was 6, I started playing the piano because I loved the black and white colors of the keys and how you could make such noise and have your fingers in control of what you hear,” he said.
Piano may be prime for Michael, but he maintains other talents, including speaking several languages and playing tennis as well as financial investing, an interest that he picked up when he won the Goodlin Scholarship in 2005 and decided to invest it in Google Inc. He doubled his money.
His inspiration comes from his piano teacher, Rinna Livshin, who works with him every week. She has sacrificed her free time to improve his playing and doubles her commitment to him come competition time.
“I definitely look forward to playing more piano in the future, and I hope to play more challenging and more expressive pieces to build my repertoire,” Michael said. “I also hope to put smiles on people’s faces and entertain people with my piano playing.”