RAMONA – Concert pianist Scott Pratt will return to his grandparents' stomping grounds Friday as part of the Ramona Concert Association's season.
Pratt's grandfather, Arthur Earl Pratt, moved to Ramona with his family in 1892 from Iowa. He attended Ramona High School and played on the football team with his lifelong friend, George Sawday, who later became a renowned cattle rancher in San Diego County.
"Rumor has it," Pratt said of his grandfather, "because he was so small and slight of build, he was frequently thrown (holding onto the football) over the opposing team for a touchdown."
Arthur Earl Pratt married Della May Wilson and they had two sons and a daughter while living in Ramona where they operated a dairy.
"Ramona is an important part in the development of the Pratt family," said Pratt, 40.
Pratt's grandparents raised five more sons – including Pratt's father, Robert – while living in Lakeside, where they operated a large dairy farm. Scott Pratt, who is on staff at the San Francisco conservatory, will play classical and jazz at his concert at Charles R. Nunn Performing Arts Center.
He grew up in Escondido and had wanted to be a concert pianist since he was a teenager. His first piano teacher was his mother, Patricia Pratt, who continues to give private lessons in Escondido. Pratt later studied under Krzysztof Brzuza, a noted pianist in San Diego.
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What: Ramona Concert Association presents pianist Scott Pratt
When: 7:30 p.m. Friday
Where: Charles R. Nunn Performing Arts Center, 1520 Hanson Lane, Ramona
Cost: $15; children and students $5
Information: (760) 789-7474
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"While I was studying with Mr. Brzuza, I decided I was going to go for it," Pratt said. "Under him, I started winning local competitions. It became pretty satisfying."
Pratt attended a private high school in Escondido, Educational Dynamics, and later studied art and music appreciation at Palomar and MiraCosta colleges. He earned his bachelor's degree in music at San Francisco Conservatory of Music and his master's degree at Manhattan School of Music in New York City.
In addition to teaching piano to children and adults at the San Francisco conservatory, Pratt also teaches at Laney College in Oakland and gives private lessons.
He has been performing in solo and chamber music recitals in Southern California since 1997.
Pratt said the advice he gives to young pianists is "Listen to your heart."
"If it's what you want to do, then do it," he said. "If you listen to your heart, it may not be what everybody else is doing, but if you think it's worth the time, then do it."
Pratt's concert begins at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Charles R. Nunn Performing Arts Center, 1520 Hanson Lane. Tickets are $15 and $5 for children and students. For more information, (760) 789-7474.
Ruth Lepper is a freelance writer in Ramona.
