Derek Paravicini
Encyclopedia
Derek Paravicini is a blind English
autistic savant and a musical prodigy
. He lives in Surrey
.
given during his time in a neonatal intensive care unit
. This also affected his developing brain, resulting in his severe learning disability
. He also has autism.
He has absolute pitch
and can play a piece of music after hearing it once. He began playing the piano by the age of two when his nanny gave him an old keyboard. His parents arranged for him to attend the Linden Lodge School for the Blind in London. On his introductory visit to the school, in the music room he broke free from his parents, then headed straight for a piano being played, and then pushed the player, Adam Ockelford, aside to take over. Ockelford encouraged him and arranged first weekly and then daily lessons. Aged seven, he gave his first concert in Tooting Leisure Centre in South London.
In 1989, at the age of nine, Paravicini had his first major public concert at the Barbican Hall in London when he played with the Royal Philharmonic Pops Orchestra. In that year he appeared on Wogan
and was the main subject of a documentary called Musical Savants. Aged ten he was presented with a Barnardo's Children's Champion Award by Diana, Princess of Wales
. More opportunities followed, including playing at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club
. Paravicini is a resident at the Royal National Institute of the Blind
.
He was featured on an episode of Channel 5's Extraordinary People in an episode titled "The Musical Genius", which showed his journey to Las Vegas
to play in a charity concert with another savant, Rex Lewis-Clack
. He was interviewed twice by Lesley Stahl
for 60 Minutes
. In 2009 he was one of the subjects of the NOVA
series' episode, "Musical Minds", featuring neurologist Oliver Sacks
, on PBS
. He was featured a second time by 60 Minutes on 14 March 2010. In 2009 he performed for the former Chancellor
Alistair Darling
, when he unexpectedly played Big Spender
.
On 13 May 2010 Paravicini made legal history when the United Kingdom
's last remaining secret court was opened for the first time to discuss his future care. The Court of Protection
, which controls the future of adults incapable of managing their own affairs, appointed Paravicini's family to look after his welfare and commercial future. Until that legal decision was made the Official Solicitor from the Ministry of Justice had been looking after his affairs, rather than his divorced parents, Nicolas Paravicini and Mary Ann Parker Bowles.
On August 26, 2010 Derek was featured on the History Channel's Stan Lee's Superhumans
. On the show Derek was subjected to testing which verified his savantism and superhuman
musical ability. After improvising at two pianos with the composer Matthew King
, for a radio programme made for BBC Radio 4, Derek and Matthew collaborated on a new Piano Concerto entitled Blue which was first performed with the Orchestra of St John's
in the Queen Elizabeth Hall
, London in September 2011. This is believed to be the first concerto ever composed for someone with learning disabilities.
, became the Duchess of Cornwall. He is a great-grandson of author William Somerset Maugham. His stepmother is Susan Rose "Sukie" Phipps (born 1941), who was brought up by Fitzroy Maclean, one of the models for James Bond
. His cousins include the food writer Tom Parker Bowles
and the gallery manager Laura Lopes
Paravicini's official biography, In the Key of Genius by Adam Ockelford, was published in the UK by Hutchinson (ISBN 978-0091796129) on May 3, 2007.
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
autistic savant and a musical prodigy
Child prodigy
A child prodigy is someone who, at an early age, masters one or more skills far beyond his or her level of maturity. One criterion for classifying prodigies is: a prodigy is a child, typically younger than 18 years old, who is performing at the level of a highly trained adult in a very demanding...
. He lives in Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
.
Biography
Paravicini was born extremely prematurely, at 25 weeks (a normal pregnancy lasts 40 weeks). His blindness was caused by oxygen therapyOxygen therapy
Oxygen therapy is the administration of oxygen as a medical intervention, which can be for a variety of purposes in both chronic and acute patient care...
given during his time in a neonatal intensive care unit
Neonatal intensive care unit
A Neonatal Intensive Care Unit —also called a Special Care Nursery, newborn intensive care unit, intensive care nursery , and special care baby unit —is an intensive care unit specializing in the care of ill or premature newborn infants.The problem of premature and congenitally ill infants is not a...
. This also affected his developing brain, resulting in his severe learning disability
Learning disability
Learning disability is a classification including several disorders in which a person has difficulty learning in a typical manner, usually caused by an unknown factor or factors...
. He also has autism.
He has absolute pitch
Absolute pitch
Absolute pitch , widely referred to as perfect pitch, is the ability of a person to identify or re-create a given musical note without the benefit of an external reference.-Definition:...
and can play a piece of music after hearing it once. He began playing the piano by the age of two when his nanny gave him an old keyboard. His parents arranged for him to attend the Linden Lodge School for the Blind in London. On his introductory visit to the school, in the music room he broke free from his parents, then headed straight for a piano being played, and then pushed the player, Adam Ockelford, aside to take over. Ockelford encouraged him and arranged first weekly and then daily lessons. Aged seven, he gave his first concert in Tooting Leisure Centre in South London.
In 1989, at the age of nine, Paravicini had his first major public concert at the Barbican Hall in London when he played with the Royal Philharmonic Pops Orchestra. In that year he appeared on Wogan
Wogan
Wogan was a chat show on British television, hosted by Terry Wogan. It followed the format of a series broadcast in 1980 entitled What's On Wogan?, which failed to gather viewers. The Wogan show was initially broadcast on Tuesday evenings on BBC1 in 1981 and from 1982 to 1984, it moved into the...
and was the main subject of a documentary called Musical Savants. Aged ten he was presented with a Barnardo's Children's Champion Award by Diana, Princess of Wales
Diana, Princess of Wales
Diana, Princess of Wales was the first wife of Charles, Prince of Wales, whom she married on 29 July 1981, and an international charity and fundraising figure, as well as a preeminent celebrity of the late 20th century...
. More opportunities followed, including playing at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club
Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club
Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club is a jazz club which has operated in London since 1959.The club opened on 30 October 1959 in a basement at 39 Gerrard Street in London's Soho district. It was managed by musicians Ronnie Scott and Pete King. In 1965 it moved to a larger venue nearby at 47 Frith Street...
. Paravicini is a resident at the Royal National Institute of the Blind
Royal National Institute of the Blind
RNIB is a UK charity offering information, support and advice to almost two million people in the UK with sight loss.- History :The Royal National Institute of Blind People was founded by Thomas Rhodes Armitage, a successful doctor who suffered from eyesight problems.In 1868 Dr Armitage founded an...
.
He was featured on an episode of Channel 5's Extraordinary People in an episode titled "The Musical Genius", which showed his journey to Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
to play in a charity concert with another savant, Rex Lewis-Clack
Rex Lewis-Clack
Rex Lewis-Clack is a musical savant.Born blind and with severe brain damage due to a cyst, he is incapable of caring for himself, but can play songs on the piano after hearing them a single time. He also has autism. Given a keyboard at the age of two, Lewis-Clack became fascinated, and as he...
. He was interviewed twice by Lesley Stahl
Lesley Stahl
Lesley Rene Stahl is an American television journalist. Since 1991, she has reported for CBS on 60 Minutes.-Personal life:...
for 60 Minutes
60 Minutes
60 Minutes is an American television news magazine, which has run on CBS since 1968. The program was created by producer Don Hewitt who set it apart by using a unique style of reporter-centered investigation....
. In 2009 he was one of the subjects of the NOVA
NOVA (TV series)
Nova is a popular science television series from the U.S. produced by WGBH Boston. It can be seen on the Public Broadcasting Service in the United States, and in more than 100 other countries...
series' episode, "Musical Minds", featuring neurologist Oliver Sacks
Oliver Sacks
Oliver Wolf Sacks, CBE , is a British neurologist and psychologist residing in New York City. He is a professor of neurology and psychiatry at Columbia University, where he also holds the position of Columbia Artist...
, on PBS
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
. He was featured a second time by 60 Minutes on 14 March 2010. In 2009 he performed for the former Chancellor
Chancellor of the Exchequer
The Chancellor of the Exchequer is the title held by the British Cabinet minister who is responsible for all economic and financial matters. Often simply called the Chancellor, the office-holder controls HM Treasury and plays a role akin to the posts of Minister of Finance or Secretary of the...
Alistair Darling
Alistair Darling
Alistair Maclean Darling is a Scottish Labour Party politician who has been a Member of Parliament since 1987, currently for Edinburgh South West. He served as the Chancellor of the Exchequer from 2007 to 2010...
, when he unexpectedly played Big Spender
Big Spender
"Big Spender" is a song written by Cy Coleman and Dorothy Fields for the musical Sweet Charity, first performed in 1966. It is sung, in the musical, by the dance hostess "girls"; it was choreographed by Bob Fosse for the Broadway musical and the film...
.
On 13 May 2010 Paravicini made legal history when the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
's last remaining secret court was opened for the first time to discuss his future care. The Court of Protection
Court of Protection
The Court of Protection in English law is a superior court of record created under the Mental Capacity Act 2005. It has jurisdiction over the property, financial affairs and personal welfare of people who lack mental capacity to make decisions for themselves...
, which controls the future of adults incapable of managing their own affairs, appointed Paravicini's family to look after his welfare and commercial future. Until that legal decision was made the Official Solicitor from the Ministry of Justice had been looking after his affairs, rather than his divorced parents, Nicolas Paravicini and Mary Ann Parker Bowles.
On August 26, 2010 Derek was featured on the History Channel's Stan Lee's Superhumans
Stan Lee's Superhumans
Stan Lee's Superhumans is a documentary television series that debuted August 5, 2010 on History. It is hosted by comic book superhero creator Stan Lee and follows contortionist Daniel Browning Smith, "the most flexible man in the world", as he searches the globe for real-life superhumans – people...
. On the show Derek was subjected to testing which verified his savantism and superhuman
Superhuman
Superhuman can mean an improved human, for example, by genetic modification, cybernetic implants, or as what humans might evolve into, in the near or distant future...
musical ability. After improvising at two pianos with the composer Matthew King
Matthew King (composer)
Matthew King is a British composer and pianist. His works include opera, piano and chamber music, choral and orchestral pieces.-Career:...
, for a radio programme made for BBC Radio 4, Derek and Matthew collaborated on a new Piano Concerto entitled Blue which was first performed with the Orchestra of St John's
Orchestra of St John's
For forty years, Orchestra of St John's has been one of the most distinctive Orchestras in the United Kingdom. Its ethos is underpinned by its breadth of activity which it has undertaken from concerts all over the UK and abroad to its community projects – even recording award-winning rock...
in the Queen Elizabeth Hall
Queen Elizabeth Hall
The Queen Elizabeth Hall is a music venue on the South Bank in London, United Kingdom that hosts daily classical, jazz, and avant-garde music and dance performances. The QEH forms part of Southbank Centre arts complex and stands alongside the Royal Festival Hall, which was built for the Festival...
, London in September 2011. This is believed to be the first concerto ever composed for someone with learning disabilities.
Family
Paravicini is the son of Nicolas Paravicini and Mary Ann Parker Bowles, the former sister-in-law of Camilla Parker Bowles, who later, by her marriage to the Prince of WalesPrince of Wales
Prince of Wales is a title traditionally granted to the heir apparent to the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the 15 other independent Commonwealth realms...
, became the Duchess of Cornwall. He is a great-grandson of author William Somerset Maugham. His stepmother is Susan Rose "Sukie" Phipps (born 1941), who was brought up by Fitzroy Maclean, one of the models for James Bond
James Bond
James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
. His cousins include the food writer Tom Parker Bowles
Tom Parker Bowles
Thomas Henry Parker Bowles is the son of Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall and Andrew Parker Bowles. His stepfather and godfather is Prince Charles, Prince of Wales. His younger sister is Laura Lopes....
and the gallery manager Laura Lopes
Laura Lopes
Laura Rose Lopes, née Parker Bowles, is the daughter of Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall and Andrew Parker Bowles, OBE. Her mother's remarriage in 2005 made HRH the Prince of Wales her stepfather. She has one elder brother, Tom Parker Bowles....
Paravicini's official biography, In the Key of Genius by Adam Ockelford, was published in the UK by Hutchinson (ISBN 978-0091796129) on May 3, 2007.
External links
- Official Website
- Yahoo! News - 60 Minutes: Derek: A Musical Savant
- Video documentary on YouTube: Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5
- Excerpts on YouTube from a Derek & the Jazz Katz gig in Nutfield April 2008 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXZ_LLIkoZY http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=lhdGNSGjQSU http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=miHKsgMGYkM
- Excerpts on YouTube from a Derek & the Jazz Katz gig in Nutfield July 2008 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=asUqw20EB_A http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NrLEULTURgQ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lyn5pr5Pu2M
- BBC Radio 4 programme about Derek Paravicini