An Interview With Pianist Daniel Souvigny

I first encountered 15-year-old pianist Daniel Souvigny at last year’s Scott Joplin Ragtime Festival in Sedalia, MO. I saw him again a few months later at the Central Pennsylvania Ragtime and American Music Festival. As one of the up-and-coming stars of our musical world, he’s a natural interview subject for this column. Now 16, he lives in Hampshire, Illinois, about 50 miles west of Chicago, with his mother, an occupational therapist. Daniel is a home-schooled high school sophomore and, in his words, “thankfully an only child.” Q: When did you start playing piano, and what led you to do so? A: I (officially) started taking piano lessons at 5, but as early as 2 I would walk over to the piano and play some notes. There was always a piano in my house, and I was just drawn to it. Q: How did you develop an interest in early jazz? Are there other types of music you like and/or play? A: In one of my early piano books, there was a simplified arrangement of the “Maple Leaf Rag” by Scott Joplin. I was immediately hooked. After that I just learned more and more ragtime, while more recently expanding into other sub-genres such as stride, blues, funk, and