Local pianist/composer Chris Errera comes to Prarie Center Oct. 26
Despite the physical limitations imposed on Chris Errera, his musical creativity and indomitable perseverance remain undiminished, as those present when the pianist/composer performs at 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 26, at the Schaumburg Prairie Center for the Arts will witness.
Errera is a Schaumburg resident who was born with diastrophic dwarfism, a rare congenital condition that is generally characterized by short stature and an abnormal development of bones and joints.
From early on, Errera, with the love and support of his parents John and Carol, was determined to not allow his physical impairment to become a defining factor in his life.
Unable to acclimate himself to sports, Errera’s interests fortuitously turned to music. In kindergarten, his precocious talents as a pianist and composer earned him a spot in a school talent show.
By high school, in between surgeries (he’s had at least 18 of them to date), Errera was submitting original compositions in music competitions.
In 2007, Errera began work on “Enter the Twilight,” featuring original compositions he calls “a culmination of all my life experiences, a snapshot of my mind, heart, and soul.”
The recording, released in 2010, is a collection of contemporary keyboard-based melodies, with contemplative titles such as “Voyages,” “Translucent Soul,” “Gears of Time,” and the title track.
Errera has been featured on the Rosie Show, WGN TV, WGN Radio, Fox News Chicago, and other media outlets throughout the Midwest.
His life and music is also the subject of “Composed,” an award-winning 2010 documentary that has been showcased in film festivals including the Long Island International Film Expo and Las Vegas Film Festival.
Errera can also be heard as a motivational speaker at schools and business and public functions.
Tickets for the concert are $22 ($20 for students and seniors) and can be ordered online at prairiecenter.org or by calling (847) 895-3600. The Prairie Center for the Arts is at 201 Schaumburg Court, Schaumburg.
The performance is sponsored by the Prairie Center Arts Foundation.