SFYCA alum, Jack Barton (’10, ’11) along with his brother Dan share their joys of
working together and how SFYCA helped shaped his path to success
Classically trained pianists and self-proclaimed childhood choir nerds, brothers Dan and Jack grew up sharing stereos, piano teachers, and bunk beds. Growing up in Fort Collins, Colorado they developed a shared musical language while they attended piano lessons, choir concerts, and religiously listening to show-tune aficionados Billy Joel and Elton John.
While in high school both brothers continued to explore the world of music and theater and for Jack included two seasons as an SFYCA musician. A major highlight of Jack’s SFYCA experience was sharing the stage with the amazing and inspiring Bobby McFerrin.
Upon graduation, Dan headed to New York and Boston to fulfill his dream of becoming a performing artist while Jack attended the University of Northern Colorado as a theater major. As Dan worked to establish himself as a musician on the east coast, Jack began a four-year run of music theater shows including an epic stint as the lead in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.
Jack then followed Dan to Boston and they both quickly realized that the sum is greater than their individual parts. Together, Dan says “we deliver near-telepathic piano arrangements, genetically engineered harmonies, and the kind of snarky banter that only stage-hogging siblings can offer.”
In early 2019 they found themselves back in Colorado and quickly became the successful Dueling Piano team as they played dozens of bars, breweries, and events in the greater Denver area. After the COVID shutdown, they are back performing like gangbusters and haven’t looked back.
Below are answers to some questions we posed to the brothers about their musical journeys and Jack’s experience with SFYCA. Enjoy!
SFYCA Alumni Profile Post #2!
In 2023, SFYCA will celebrate its 25th Anniversary. While it is still a way off, planning is already underway to include an alumni reception and featured performances by alumni, alongside the 2023 SFYCA participants. SFYCA Alumni Profiles are one of many ways we will be celebrating SFYCA alumni (over 1200) who are doing amazing things in their careers today. If you are an alum, or know someone who is, please email Education & Operations Coordinator, Barbara Harris at bharris7@uoregon.edu.
participant following an SFYCA 2010 performance
1. In your own words, what does SFYCA mean to you? How has it shaped and informed your career?
(JB) SFYCA is undoubtedly one of my favorite high school memories. As a young musician, it is incredibly easy to feel isolated. Being able to spend a couple of weeks with like-minded high schoolers with similar passions and goals made me feel like I was exactly where I needed to be. Additionally, the talent level was so high throughout the choir, that it almost felt overwhelming (in the best way). It was the best choir I ever had the pleasure of joining; even just getting the chance to rehearse with this group for a few hours each day was a complete treat. Working with generational talents like Dr. Armstrong and Bobby McFerrin was the icing on the cake. I studied Choral Music Education briefly in College, largely because of the tremendous experience I had with SFYCA.
2. What is your favorite memory of SFYCA?
(JB) My favorite memory from SFYCA was our concert with Bobby McFerrin. The 2010 SFYCA was an anniversary year in which they brought out Bobby McFerrin to perform some of his vocal arrangements with us high school kids. The music was incredibly complicated, and it took dozens of hours for each of us in the choir to get our parts ready. However, the payoff of singing with Bobby McFerrin in front of an electric, sold-out audience was worth it on every level. To this day, I remember how it felt walking off stage with the choir; the energy backstage after the performance was the same as if we had just finished performing the half-time show at the Super Bowl. That is a moment that will stick with me for the rest of my life. I also will always remember how fun it was living in the Oregon dorms with the other choir kids. We all became best friends in a matter of days, which is an experience you won’t find just about anywhere else.
3. OBF is looking forward to offering SFYCA in June 2022 after a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic. As communities slowly get back to “business as usual” and vaccinated populations continue to increase, what words of encouragement and advice do you have for high school choral musicians considering auditioning for the 2022 Academy?
(DB) My only advice for kids thinking about auditioning for SFYCA is to get vaccinated and DO IT! Work with your voice teacher or choir teacher to make sure you are putting your best foot forward and show the judges everything you’ve got. I’m a lifelong introvert with somewhat crippling stage anxiety; even so, I still refer to my experience with SFYCA as one of the best experiences of my youth. I made lifelong friends and had the chance to essentially perform with an All-American Honor Choir. Side note, make sure to bring allergy medication with you on your trip; that Eugene, OR pollen isn’t messing around.
4. Congratulations on your Dueling Pianos project! Can you share how it all came together? What is it like to be performing siblings?
(DB) First of all, I can’t imagine doing this work with anyone other than my brother Jack. Running a business and being in a band are both famously stressful and emotional undertakings, and I feel so fortunate to be making a living performing with my best friend who happens to be an incredible musician. It helps to know that we have each other’s best interests and are working passionately to help each other succeed. When we were living in Boston, I was desperate for more performance opportunities and to be making more music day-to-day. I began street performing in Downtown Boston’s Faneuil Hall, which was the perfect opportunity to learn hours of material, improve my performance skills, and learn what people like to request. On a trip to Nashville, we visited an incredible dueling pianos bar that inspired us to give it a try, so by the time Jack was interested in joining, all the pieces were in place. We moved back to Colorado in 2019 and began performing as much as possible. Opportunities have continued to grow from there!
5. You are both fortunate to be working musicians in an industry that has been hit hard by the pandemic. Do you have any words of inspiration, wisdom, and even caution for those who wish to pursue a career in the performing arts?
(DB) So much advice. Pursuing a career in music can be daunting, for sure. A lot of people will say “if you can imagine yourself doing anything else professionally, then you probably should pursue something else.” I think that’s somewhat dramatic and an overstatement. But it definitely feels like the only thing that I’m driven to succeed in.
Inspiration: It’s not rocket science. Society has drilled a narrative that being a professional musician is the equivalent of a winning lottery ticket, and that mindset is a really damaging one.
Wisdom: Self-awareness is one of your biggest assets. What do you bring to the table that’s different from others in your field? Where do you stand relative to others who are succeeding in your niche, and how can you grow to get closer to that standard
Caution: It takes time. Just because it’s not happening overnight doesn’t mean it’s not happening. Ignore the prodigies — most of the people who make sustainable livings in music are the ones who stuck it out.
Advice: For classical musicians especially, I’ve noticed a tendency to not think outside the box, and essentially wait for permission to be considered professionals. When you are living and dying by the approval of a conductor, artistic director, or admissions officer, it’s hard not to feel like your entire future is out of your control. Give yourself permission to consider yourself a professional and make your own opportunities! Build your own ensemble, host your own recital, record a CD, collaborate with songwriters, or beat makers that you think would be cool to work with. Also, diversify yourself and your streams of income. Our work comes from live performance, private events, streaming revenue (from our classical piano project, Lake Isabel), and writing music for film and advertising. It takes a lot of work to keep multiple plates spinning, but when no single source of revenue could delete your income overnight, you have a lot more flexibility.
(JB) We are incredibly lucky to be full-time musicians in a time like this; my biggest piece of advice for someone considering a career in music is to trust your gut and know that it’s okay to choose something else. Being a musician can be emotionally difficult, especially if you are someone like me who craves stability. For example, I lost my dream job of playing piano full-time at a high-end piano bar in Denver, CO due to COVID a mere three weeks into starting the position. However, I knew that things would turn around if I worked diligently and was extremely patient. Sure enough, I was recently able to quit my pandemic job and once again live off my musical pursuits. Another piece of advice for young musicians is to diversify their skill sets; Although our Dueling Pianos show is a heavy focus of ours, we make a hefty portion of our income composing solo piano music for Spotify as well as selling our Billy Joel / Elton John tribute concert to theaters around Colorado. The more baskets you can put your eggs into as a musician, the less opportunity that unforeseen circumstances (such as COVID) must turn your life upside down.
6. You describe yourselves as a piano-centric songwriting duo. What is the inspiration behind your songwriting? What are your favorite music genres? Artists?
(JB) Our songwriting influences are tremendously diverse, but it’s hard not to mention Ben Folds and Billy Joel (two of the piano/pop greats) when discussing our musical inspiration. With that said, if someone was to look at the music, we each listen to on Spotify every day, they may be surprised. Modern Pop, Folk, R&B, 70s Soft Rock, Bluegrass, Funk, Jazz, and 80s Pop all have a tremendous influence on how we write music. I believe that a good song is a good song, and there are little songwriting nuggets of wisdom to borrow just about anywhere you look.
(DB) We grew up listening to Billy Joel add nausea him, so he has been much of the inspiration for our voices as players, writers, and singers. After that, we’ve absorbed as much as possible–from Ben Folds, Jamie Cullum, Sara Bareilles, Vulfpeck, and beyond.
7. During your time as performers, you’ve probably had the opportunity to work with several mentors. Who has been particularly influential in shaping your acting and performing philosophy?
(JB) We both have been lucky enough to have great mentorship in our musical careers, often from people who have had overwhelmingly successful careers themselves. However, the mentor that arguably meant the most to us was our Middle School Choir Teacher, Ms. Hall. At the end of the day, what a young musician needs the most is someone to tell them, through words or actions, that their interests and talents have value. Ms. Hall made us feel like we were rock stars; it didn’t matter that we weren’t athletically gifted, because our musical gifts were enough. Therefore, programs like SFYCA are so necessary. Passions and hobbies go away if nobody is there to nurture them with positive feedback and validation. SFYCA undoubtedly gave me the validation I needed to move forward in my career, knowing that my skills and interests had value.
