Yamaha Music and Wellness Institute
Recognizes Cannon Brown
with 2019 Brian Jemelian Award

Midland, Pa. (March 11, 2020) — Cannon Brown, a freshman high school student from Midland, Pennsylvania, has been named this year’s recipient of the Brian Jemelian Award for Outstanding Achievement.

The national award will be presented by the Yamaha Music and Wellness Institute (YMWI) during a special ceremony to be held at 10:30 a.m. on March 23 at the Mainstage Theater in the Lincoln Park Performing Arts Center. It recognizes the exceptional musical commitment that inspires positive personal and cultural transformation, and was established in memory of Brian Jemelian, who passed away in July 2017, having served as a senior vice president at Yamaha and as a member of the board of directors at YMWI.

Stephen Catanzarite, managing director, Lincoln Park Performing Arts Center is scheduled to introduce the award, while Barry Bittman, MD, board chairman, CEO and president, Yamaha Music and Wellness Institute, will present the award to Brown, along with a brand-new Yamaha Clavinova CVP-805B digital piano. Mike Garson, best known as the longtime keyboardist for David Bowie, will play a musical tribute to the Brian Jemelian Award and to Cannon. The ceremony will culminate in a performance by Brown and Garson, who will perform a duet on an improvised piece of music.

Like many teenagers today, Brown’s life has been impacted by poverty, the alcoholism and drug abuse of those around him, and an unstable home life.

While making a required presentation at Midland Middle School where he attended, Brown was asked to share his career goals. Unbeknownst to his teachers, he revealed that he wanted to be a musician, and that he was self-taught, practicing regularly at home on his sister’s keyboard.

“At that point, I stopped him, and asked him to play,” said Sean Tanner, superintendent, Midland School District. “I was amazed at what I saw and what I heard.”

Brown’s perseverance and natural ability impressed and moved the Midland community to such an extent, that he was subsequently invited to enroll in the Lincoln Park Performing Arts Charter School. The school operates under the auspices of the Lincoln Park Performing Art Center and serves more than 800 youth in grades 7-12 hailing from more than 80 school districts throughout the region.

“In starting to work with Cannon, it was evident right away,” said Todd Goodman, chief academic officer, Lincoln Park Performing Arts Center, who also serves as Cannon’s piano teacher. “There’s lots you can teach in music, but you can’t teach passion, and you can’t teach this innate energy that Cannon has naturally.”

Brown’s gift for improvisation is now being informed and enhanced with an understanding of technique and theory, which will enable him to deepen his capacity for creative expression and sharing.

“Whenever I play, I just feel better,” Cannon admits. “I feel that music can bring people together and make them realize they have a lot in common.”

Brown’s father Phillip, who came to his own realization that he was putting his son through a lot of things he didn’t have to go through, ultimately became one of his staunchest supporters: “Cannon has somehow taken the negative winds that have pushed against him most of his life and turned them into a musical gift. When he plays his beat-up instrument, you can feel the love and genuine concern for other people. I nominate him for this opportunity so he can inspire the rest of the world.”

In the end, it was Cannon’s need and exceptional talent that formed a solid basis for him being named the recipient of the Brian Jemelian Award for Outstanding Achievement.

“Brian would be extremely pleased to know that Cannon is receiving this award in his name, along with this new Yamaha Clavinova digital piano to further his musical journey,” said Dr. Bittman. “The Yamaha Music and Wellness Institute is honored to recognize such a deserving young man for his outstanding achievement.”

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About the Lincoln Park Performing Arts Center

Western Pennsylvania’s premier arts-and-education destination, Lincoln Park Arts Center is located in a beautiful park setting in Midland, Pennsylvania. Its mission is to strengthen the cultural, educational, and economic vitality of the communities it serves by making high-quality arts and education programs available, accessible, and affordable for everyone. The Center is home to the renowned Lincoln Park Performing Arts Charter School, and creates authentic, real-world learning opportunities for young people by offering high-quality, professionally-produced musicals, plays, concerts, ballets, readings, and exhibits for patrons of all ages.

About Yamaha Music and Wellness Institute

Yamaha Music and Wellness Institute is a not-for-profit 501(C)(3) organization dedicated to interdisciplinary development, scientific investigation, professional training and clinical amalgamation of active music participation strategies with integrative evidence-based medical insights for the purpose of enhancing quality of life for individuals of all ages regardless of race, ethnicity or disability. 

Contact:  Peter Giles/Giles Communications
 (914) 644-3500 ext. 700 (pgiles@giles.com)