Music on the River

Jacob is an eleven year old musician with PDDNOS (a form of autism). He began taking piano lessons at the tender age of four, and by age five caught the attention of media outlets like Good Morning America, The View, Telemundo, CNN, and Headline News. Jacob has also performed on “The Steve Harvey Show” and “The Harry Show”.   By six years old Jacob was in the studio recording his first self titled album “Jacob”.

He made his debut with The Space Coast Symphony Orchestra at just eight years old and has since performed with The Hallandale Symphonic Orchestra, The Sugar Pops Orchestra and the Imperial Symphony Orchestra.

Jacob has been invited to perform on stage in concert with Harry Connick Jr and he was personally invited by Taylor Swift to her tour after hearing him play.

Jacob trains with world renowned professor, Giselle Brodsky, Co-Founder and Artistic Director of the Miami International Piano Festival and the Academy.    Jacob is currently authoring his first children’s book and is being filmed for a documentary “The Colorful World of Jacob Velazquez”.    For more information on Jacob please visit www.JacobVelazquez.com and TheColorfulWorldMovie.com.

Nailah is thirteen years old and has been playing piano since she was four. Before moving to Florida, she studied piano for several years under the late Lawrence Clapp, twice received Superior Honors in the Arizona Music Study Program and was a member of the Chandler Children’s Chorus. She is excited to be a part of Brevard’s music community, and since moving here last year has already participated in several recitals and a masterclass with concert pianist Daria Rabotkina. Nailah is thrilled to have had the opportunity to compete as a finalist in this year’s Brevard’s Got Music Talent competition and become the competition’s youngest-ever first place winner at twelve. While classical piano is her first love, Nailah also enjoys improvising and experimenting with other styles, composing, singing, and playing her ukulele. She participated in the Melbourne Municipal Band’s summer camp and concert, playing snare drum and jazz piano. She also loves to sew, write poetry, and has just started learning to play the guitar. Nailah aspires to someday conduct orchestras and write scores for movies. She lives in Melbourne, is homeschooled, and studies piano with Ms. Irina Wolynez.

Marea Pennell, 14, has been studying the harp for a little over 4 years. Since she could talk, she always asked to learn this beautiful instrument - which mystified her parents, who didn’t know anyone who played! A chance meeting resulted in finding a harp teacher, and a new harpist was born. After moving to central Florida in 2015, Marea began studying with world-renowned harpist Jan Jennings in Orlando. Though still fairly new to the instrument, Marea received scholarships from the American Harp Society and The Summer Harp Institute in 2017, enabling her to attend The Summer Harp Institute in the breathtaking mountains of NC and study with some of the finest harp teachers in the nation. Marea is today playing the gorgeous pedal harp she was able to buy thanks to a generous grant from the Creative Arts Foundation of Brevard. A student at Cocoa Beach Jr/Sr High, Marea plays harp and 1st chair viola with their orchestra, and is an active member of the American Harp Society’s Orlando chapter.

Douglas Dyer, began his violin studies at the age of 4 in West Palm Beach, FL.  Fluent in both Russian and English, the next year he studied at the Central Music School for the Gifted of the Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory, in Moscow, Russia. A year later, he came back to the United States and studied with celebrated teacher and violinist, Dr. Alvaro Gomez.

At the age of nine, he was featured as a soloist with the Space Coast Pops, under the direction of Clair Christy.  In the summer of 2013, Douglas participated in the IBLA competition and music festival in Sicily.  He won second prize and the title of “Distinguished Violinist.” In 2015 at the age of 10, he won a first place in “ The American International Piano & Strings Competition.”  He then performed as a soloist in the winners recital at Carnegie Hall.

Last year he competed at the Baryshnikov Center in New York, making it to the semi-finals of the NYCA, New York Concert Artist and Associates.   Dougals now age 13, is a ninth grader at Rockledge High School.

Sara is 10 years old and loves musical theatre.   Her favorite role to date was playing Elizabeth Cady Stanton with the Brevard Theatrical Ensemble's performance of 'We Are'.    She has performed in many productions at the Cocoa Village Playhouse.  Most recently, she played a pick pocket in The Brevard's Renaissance Fair.