Michael Kaeshammer to play Strings Music Pavilion

Michael Kaeshammer has a passion for music that has been developing since his first moments of life.   

He will bring that passion, as well as his deep and eccentric interpretation of what music is, to Strings Music Pavilion at 7 p.m. Aug. 4.

He has played at the venue several times before and is excited to return to Steamboat Springs to perform in what he views as one of the more beautiful communities he visits. He noted that he doesn’t often get to play in Colorado and that Steamboat Springs is a special location he always loves returning to. 

Michael’s father, who was a piano player, was his inspiration to wander into the world of art and music. As a young child, Michael would listen as his father would play around the house with friends. 

“I was watching him and thinking he was one of the coolest guys there is and I wanted to be like him. I loved when he touched the piano,” said Kaeshammer.

Given his exposure to music at a young age, Michael never thought twice about his gravitation toward the piano as his unique way of expressing his passion for music with audiences around the world.   

Kaeshammer explained that music has been second nature to him and it’s really the only thing that he knows how to do “perfectly well.” He said he loves music more with each passing day and every event he’s involved in. 

His approach to music is as unique as his history of playing. As an artist, Kaeshammer prefers not to apply a genre label to the pieces that he plays. “I’m not trying to play a certain style but that is not a conscious decision,” he said. He doesn’t agree with the idea that music can be done “wrong or right” when playing within the confines of a certain musical genre.  

“I just let a song dictate where it has to go,” he said. 

Audiences who watch Kaeshammer can expect a combination of classical, jazz, blues, boogie-woogie, stride and even pop, all intertwined into his own unique interpretation and presentation.

Often, when playing solo or with the other members of the band, he approaches the stage with no set list and no expectation for how the performance is going to progress. Feeding off the energy of the audience as well as other instrumentalists, he tailors each show to the environment and energy of those watching. 

Kaeshammer elaborated that “the audience is the payoff at the end of the day. That is why you travel and go on the road.”

The performance at Strings Music Pavilion will also feature David Steinmetz, hailing from Toronto, on percussion and Steve Hilliam, from Vancouver, on tenor saxophone. The trio enjoys a high level of camaraderie, which leads to a cohesion that enhances the music and the feeling that the three are able to present.  

More information, as well as ticket sales, can be found at StringsMusicFestival.com.