@ Kennedy Center
Thursday November 25, 2010
06:00 PM - 7:00 pm
Born Vincent Richardson in a small Michigan town, V. Rich spent his childhood in New Haven, Connecticut where he learned the power of music and its ability to connect to the hearts and minds of its listeners. Growing up the son of a preacher, in a family of singers, musicians, and music lovers, the young V. Rich was exposed to a vast array of musical genres and quickly became fascinated by the greats: Bob Marley, Nina Simone, Marvin Gaye and Oscar Peterson and the classical giants: Chopin, Debussy and Beethoven.
By thirteen, he had not only begun to explore his gift of transforming simple melodies into lyrical treasures, he had also learned to convert his passion and innate love for the piano into a means of artistic communication. He recalls, “The piano was one of my best friends. If I were angry I would play the piano. If I were sad, I would play the piano. When I needed to relax, I would play; it became an outlet for me.” With a firm but loving push from his parents, V. Rich, took every opportunity to showcase his talents.
By the age of 14, shortly after moving to Washington DC, V. Rich studied under the wo rld-renowned classical pianist, Dr. Raymond Jackson. Under his tutelage V. Rich would become a prized classical pianist, earning a full scholarship into the prestigious musical program at Carnegie Mellon University. He would go on to graduate Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Piano Performance from Howard University.
His fervor for music deepened in the eclectic musical hub that is Washington DC; known then as “Keys”, he founded a critically acclaimed hip-hop band Lauda and began playing keyboards and singing backup for major R&B recording artist, Amel Larrieux. The exposure gave V. Rich greater desires to one day perform at the front of the stage. But he continued to add depth to his catalog and in 2005 he scored scenes in the BET made for TV movie “Multitude of Mercies”. He began to gain momentum in the music industry and began working with a number of local and national artists including Navasha of the underground giant “Fertile Ground”, Grammy – nominated performers Wayna and Raheem De Vaughn, and Grammy award winn ers Mya and Lauryn Hill.
Thursday November 25, 2010
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
All Ages
Cover Notes: FREE***************************
