Local piano virtuoso heads back to Houston

By Dan Hilborn
Published Aug. 6, 2005


Sean Bayntun, a 23-year-old piano virtuoso who had his start as a guest soloist with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra in Deer Lake Park in 2000, will be heading back to Houston, Texas this fall to complete his master's degree at Rice University.

Bayntun, who is studying on a full scholarship worth $45,000 US, was also invited to serve as a guest conductor for the Theatre Under the Stars production of Big last week.

"The bigger the audience, the more excited I get. So probably, the long-standing highlight so far was when I played with the VSO at Deer Lake," Bayntun told the Burnaby NOW earlier this summer. "The fire marshal said there were about 10,000 people at that show.

"I guess I'm a bit of an attention seeker, and it's always been that way."

Bayntun, who attended Capitol Hill elementary and Burnaby North secondary, has an impressive musical resume that begins with lessons from his father, George, until the age of 15. He has attended the Adamant Summer Music School in Vermont, Centre d'Arts in Orford, Quebec and at the Music Bridge Festival in Calgary.

A graduate of the UBC music program under the instruction of Robert Silverman, Bayntun is working with another well-known name from Burnaby in Texas, world-renowned concert pianist Jon Kimura (Jackie) Parker.

Despite his already impressive resume, Bayntun confesses he still has much to learn from Parker.

"The biggest thing I'm concentrating on is trying to figure out how to incorporate more of a performance aspect to my performances," he said. "I know that sounds completely obvious, but one of the things my teacher is great at is engaging the audience and being not just a performer but being the entire show."

His mother, Charmaine, the principal of Twelfth Avenue elementary, proudly points to more than 350 first-place ribbons, trophies or awards under her son's belt, including a special prize from the nationals. Bayntun also earned a mention in the biography of renowned Canadian pianist William Aide.

As for his ultimate goal, Bayntun is still a little uncertain. "I think that's the one question most musicians actually cannot answer," he said. "I'm in a performance program and I love performing more than anything else in the world. So I guess it's a matter of finding that perfect venue."

Of course, some people believe he's already played the perfect venue - Deer Lake Park.