Student praised for musical talents

March 5, 2009 by Travis Lohman 

Jazz studies student receives rave reviews from Long Beach Gazette  

Musical artists, individuals who straddle the line that divides reality and imaginative melodic talent, are hard to find, but junior Otto Ehling is one such individual.

Ehling began playing the piano at 2 years old and was already playing concert recitals in his native Los Angeles by the time he was 4 years old.

“Playing piano for me was something I knew I wanted to do ever since I was a little kid,” Ehling said.

By the time he was six, he’d already participated in a Brazilian benefit concert, raising close to $6,000 for impoverished Brazilian villages.

Recalling one of the most eye-opening musical experiences he had, Ehling remembered music camp in eighth grade.

“It was all classical chamber music and I learned to fit into the program quite nicely,” he said. “I really loved seeing other people just like me playing music that is intellectually stimulating and challenging.”

In his freshman year of high school, Ehling entered the NAACP Classical Piano competition and received first prize, where he played Franz Liszt’s “Hungarian Rhapsody No. 6.”

“The NAACP Competition was a huge nation-wide competition where all high school students were able to compete,” he explained. “Not only was I up against other freshman, but also high school seniors.”

Additionally, Ehling played for Wayne Newton and Gladys Knight. Nonchalantly, he mentioned playing for Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore’s wedding and reception, which he called “an absolutely beautiful wedding.”

Ehling said his college experience has helped him grow as a person and musician.

“I’ve been having a great time here at UNLV, both in the musical sense and the social scene,” he said

Ehling performs with his jazz combo, The Liberace Combo, with UNLV’s top-flight Jazz Ensemble I and UNLV’s Contemporary Ensemble.

On Feb. 7, Ehling performed in front of more than 7,000 people alongside the Long Beach Symphony orchestra, conducted by UNLV’s Jazz Studies professor Dave Loeb, where he played Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2, third movement.

“It was an ineffable and extremely empowering experience,” Ehling said.

Other featured artists included acclaimed Tony Award-winning entertainer Ben Vereen and acclaimed jazz vocalist Nita Whitaker, putting Ehling in the company of music elitists.

“Playing with such top flight musicians just made the music happen,” Ehling said. “This was the first time I’d really ever played with such a prestigious orchestra so it was absolutely imperative to keep the nerves down and get right to work.”

“This was a challenge for both myself as a conductor, as well as [Ehling],” Loeb said.

He added, “I knew Otto could rise to the occasion and showcase his talent and versatility.”

UNLV bass instructor Tom Warrington acknowledged Ehling’s playing as “brilliant” and “well-deserving of the thunderous standing ovation it received.”

Perhaps the biggest praise however came from Vereen himself, calling Ehling an “extraordinarily talented musician” and “formidable musical force.”

Additionally, Ehling’s performance garnered a rave review by the Long Beach Gazette. Writer James Scarborough remarked on the awe-inspiring performance, “Ehling carved out a chunk of Mt. Olympus on the piano with the third movement of the Rachmaninoff.”

“I’m lucky to have such caring professors in the music department such as Loeb who really want to see me succeed,” Ehling said. “Furthermore, I feel so fortunate to have a close, tight group of friends who really support me through everything I do.”