Submitted Photo Kevin Vandal is a junior at Minot State University studying piano performance.

Studying piano performance at Minot State University, junior Kevin Vandal has been playing piano for as long as he can remember.

“I grew up in a home that had a piano and as early as I can remember, my dad showed me the basics of playing and reading piano music,” Vandal said. “Once I was a little older, I began taking lessons from a local piano teacher, along with my siblings.”

Later, Vandal was able to continue taking lessons in the tiny rural town of Mylo until 2017.

“The summer before I began high school, I attended the week-long piano program at the International Music Camp,” he said. “This camp experience was my first encounter with the world of professional music-making, and it was my first contact with Dr. Dianna Anderson, the faculty pianist at Minot State University.”

The following year, Vandal began taking private lessons with Anderson in Minot.

“My home is two hours away, so I had a two-hour lesson about once a month,” said Vandal, who is from Perth. “Until I became a licensed driver, I relied on my incredibly supportive parents to make those trips happen.”

Vandal’s dedication was not short-lived, and he continued to devote lots of time and effort to his craft.

“As a student of eclectic homeschooling, it was feasible to integrate many valuable music adventures into my curriculum,” he said. “MSU hosts an annual summer program called Dakota Chamber Music. This is where I first experienced the art of performing chamber music.”

He first attended in 2018 and has returned every year since.

Through his time in high school, Vandal played or accompanied many small-town schools’ music groups, which eventually led him to Minot State.

“I’ve come to deeply enjoy collaborative performing,” he said. “It suits my interests and skills well, and I am currently preparing myself for a career in this field. At MSU, this has involved participating in numerous ensembles as well as the newly offered Virginia Geesaman Chamber Music Internship for the 2022-23 school year.”

Vandal has been a part of almost everything music-related there is to offer in Minot as well as MSU, including a central Europe study abroad group. His goals include participating in the Norway trip with the MSU Concert Choir, as well as performing for some of North Dakota’s most notable orchestras.

“When I was a high school senior, I had the wonderful opportunity to perform a piano concerto movement with the Minot Symphony Orchestra,” said Vandal, who earned the honor by winning the orchestra’s annual young artist competition. “And three years later I’m super excited to take the stage with the MSO again on March 16. I’ll be performing the first movement of George Gershwin’s ‘Piano Concerto in F,’ which is wonderfully tuneful and spirited music from the 20th century.”

The theme for the MSO concert is “A Cry for Freedom.” While most of the program consists of somber songs, the one Vandal performs, he said, is hardly somber.

“Initially, I felt Gershwin hardly fit the theme; however, as the first piece on the program, it sets up the rest of the music to starkly contrast the decadence Gershwin embraced,” Vandal said. “Next month, on April 20, I’ll be performing the entire work (all three movements) with the Bismarck-Mandan Symphony Orchestra.”

From small-town piano lessons to some of North Dakota’s most notable orchestras, Vandal is an example of passion and dedication leading to success.