FEATURE
ASHEBORO BROTHERS EMBRACE THE PIANO, WOWING A RECENT RECITAL AUDIENCE
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t was February of 2014 when a black Acrosonic Baldwin piano was rolled out of a living room door, down the concrete driveway, down the hill of a paved street to another Shamrock Road neighbor’s living room – and miraculously never needed to be tuned. Pamela Villagomez had purchased the instrument and wanted to learn to play. But, she had an idea her grandsons, Torren Gutierrez, 10, and Aven Gutierrez, 12, might be interested, too. Since birth, little Torren had always moved his fingers like they were touching the black and white keys. She labeled them for herself. When the piano arrived, the then six-year old Torren sat down and started running his fingers over the keyboard. His grandmother recalls that the notes he played formed a melody. “He can play by ear, though he likes to rely upon notes. He also likes to rearrange the songs, putting his own spin on the melody,” she said. Still, every now and then, both boys will double-check the keys by looking at her markings. Torren will listen to a song on the radio and then sit down to play it. Aven is a seventh grader at Uwharrie Charter Middle School now and Torren is in the fifth grade there. Neither boy had shared their talents with their teachers until one saw the video of their recent recital online. Torren was asked to give a performance. Their music teacher, Carly Hutton, of the Hutton School of Music, raves about both boys. “Torren’s talent is quite beyond his years,” she said. “Aven started playing the piano a little later than his brother did. Aven’s recital piece was the favorite ragtime song, “Oh Susanna,” by Stephen Foster. Torren chose “The Entertainer,” by Scott Joplin. Their success comes with a lot of dedicated practice and encouragement. Hutton added, “They have a very strong work ethic and come to every class prepared for their lesson.” Why? They have a routine. After supper, each one plays their assigned song of the week three times. Hutton says the practice has paid off, as they are
30 | asheboromagazine.com
