Crohan and Mayhew: It may sound like a law firm but Vineyard music lovers know it's the pairing of David Crohan, an acclaimed 65-year-old pianist and Katie Mayhew, the Island's notable 17-year-old singer who made a national debut performing with the Boston Pops on July 4th last year.
Photo by Danielle Zerbonne
This Saturday, November 7, at 7:30 pm, they'll be teaming up to help raise funds to for the Martha's Vineyard High School Minnesingers to travel to Prague.
Every other year, the Minnesingers, an elite classical chorale group of 28 singers, travels overseas to perform and to absorb the culture of a European city. This April, they will be going to Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic, a city rich in culture and history. But with a price tag of $2,500 per student, it's a costly venture.
"I said I'd be delighted to help," Mr. Crohan says, speaking from his home in Lake Worth, Florida, where he moved six years ago. The former owner of David's Island House on Circuit Avenue in Oak Bluffs, Mr. Crohan has delighted Vineyard audiences since he was 17 with his mastery of classical, Broadway, and contemporary music.
Photo by Sara Mayhew
Although known primarily as a solo pianist, Mr. Crohan says that when he and Ms. Mayhew performed at a benefit for the Community Solar Greenhouse this past summer, he discovered that they share an uncanny sense of the music they both love. "Katie is extraordinary," he says. "She combines a youthfulness with a comprehension of music far beyond her years. We hardly have to rehearse. At only 17, she's among the best singers I've ever worked with."
Ms. Mayhew voices similar appreciation for Mr. Crohan. "I trust him completely," she says. "He's an amazing artist. If you couldn't see his hands you'd swear there was more than one person playing the piano."
The duo will perform a number of Broadway tunes including several by Ms. Mayhew's favorites - Stephen Sondheim, as well as selections by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Billie Holiday.
Mr. Crohan will play popular selections from the 60s and 70s along with, he says, "an element of classical." Characterizing his solo portion of the program as "more contemporary than usual," he says he is tailoring it to what he anticipates his audience might enjoy. "I skip the 90s and present day music," he says, chuckling. "I don't think current popular music is as good as in the past, but that's what everyone my age says."
Joanne Lambert, a board member of the parents' group that oversees Minnesingers fundraising efforts, says, "I worked for David at the Island House beginning in the late 1970s. So many people will be thrilled to watch him play again. Having him come in November is a great opportunity for those of us who live here year-round to enjoy his music in the quiet off-season - no traffic, no crowds. And we have a reception planned for after the concert so there will be a chance to catch up with him in person."
The Minnesingers celebrated their 40th anniversary on the Island last year. Each year they perform two major concerts, one during the holidays and one in the spring that also features dance. According to Ms. Lambert, the dedicated group practices nearly year-round on their own time. "These kids are so committed," she says. "They rehearse one or two nights a week from September through May."
Mr. Crohan, who performs six nights a week at an upscale cafe in Palm Beach and at private functions and concerts throughout Palm Beach County, returns to the Vineyard for several engagements each summer, regaling audiences as he shifts seamlessly from Chopin to showstoppers, Gershwin to The Beatles. A graduate of the New England Conservatory of Music, he has performed for President and Mrs. Clinton, Walter Cronkite, Lady Bird Johnson, James Taylor, Carly Simon, and Billy Joel. In 1990, he was invited to entertain at Rose Kennedy's 100th birthday celebration. Blind from birth, he says it is music that has sustained him since the age of three when he discovered the piano. And, while he's never been to Prague himself, he says he would be delighted to chaperone the Minnesingers.
David Crohan and Katie Mayhew Saturday, Nov. 7, 7:30 pm, Old Whaling Church, Edgartown. Benefit for the Martha's Vineyard High School Minnesingers. Dessert reception follows. Tickets, $20, available from any Minnesinger, Alley's Store, Bunch of Grapes, Edgartown Books, Healthy Additions at Cronig's, Craftworks, and at the door. Contact Joanne Lambert, 508-693-5255 or joannelamber@gmail.com.
Karla Araujo is a regular contributor to The Times.
