124 Million views, likes & followers...what two performers are doing about COVID...

What are two internationally successful and professional teenage performers doing to keep their careers alive during yet another round of COVID? As the sun rises on January 1, 2022, the number of new cases are rising again across the Globe and powerful new anti-viral drugs are still on the horizon. But what techniques are performers using to keep safe, counter the pandemic and keep fans focused on the positive experiences of live performances? Together, these two talented high school young men have millions, many millions of fans of all ages all over the world.

This is an opportunity to re-evaluate our outlook and become more curious about the extraordinary hope, which lives in the lives of young people around the world. Youth have a way of marching forward and upward, despite setbacks. After all, what committed and talented young person isn’t investing in practice day-after-day, right now, in the quiet of a practice room for an unknown and unpromised future day of performance??

These two young men have not let the tragedy of the Pandemic stop their personal journeys for a brighter future, even if adapting it along the way. They live on different continents, play to different audiences, and perform different kinds of music, but they are peddling as fast as they can. For all of us.

We’ll meet composer/performer Cole Lam, 15, a UK student at Purcell School for Young Musicians and who lives in Surrey, England. Cole has collected over 90 million views (across all social internet platforms) playing Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody on a public piano on a train platform near Surrey, England (video links below). The 15-year-old was asked to play for Andrew Lloyd Weber's 70th birthday party, attended by dozens of international performers and members of The Royal Family.

But first, meet Preston C. Howell, one of America's hottest new vocalist who has taken to outdoor shopping malls to entertain Americans hungry for live, professional entertainment in a safe environment. In the spring of 2023, Preston is a student at Berklee College of Music in Boston, a dream come true for the South Florida native.

Preston, just 18, of Pembroke Pines, Florida, north of Miami has been entertaining Floridians since he was 4. Preston C. Howell is fast becoming a house-hold name with the speed of an intergalactic comet. He was a finalist on The Voice with four (almost instant) chair turns during Season 17, and he was only 14-years-old at the time. The judges, Kelly Clarkston, John Legend, Blake Shelton, and Gwen Stefani verbally fought over who would become Preston’s vocal mentor. Just watch that magical moment when hope became reality on NBC…

(Dream a Little Dream of Me, Fabian Andre and Wilbur Schwandt, music and lyrics by Gus Kahn.)

After being coached by John Legend, Preston returned for competition. Over 36 million viewers watched the three episodes during his appearances. The audience exploded when Preston selected an amazing throw back, swing-era tune from Frank Sinatra, The Way You Look Tonight, written by Jerome Kern. It’s like a missing fifth member of the 1950’s Rat Pack just showed up on stage, but with a youthful jazzy edge of the 2020’s…watch this amazing performance...

Preston’s affectionate combination of extraordinary vocal ability (some say he’s the new Michael Bublé), fresh stage movement and choreography, mixed with passionate charisma and audience appeal, makes him the new kid banging on Broadway’s door…right this second. But Broadway has taken a step back, just as it reopened a few weeks ago, many of those welcoming doors are now shuttered - once again - just as the calendar flips over to 2022. How will the Tony Awards look with few shows in progress? Will there be Tony Awards in 2022?

That does not stop Preston C. Howell. For a year Preston and friends have been holding outdoor, impromptu performances at The Shops at Pembroke, an upscale, outdoor shopping center in Florida. On selected Saturday nights you can hear Preston and his friends jamming-out great music; just bring your lawn chair and leave a tip in the jar to help cover expenses. Not in Miami? Enjoy the show live-streamed on Instagram. ?The group has taken a break for winter, but stay tuned. (Links and information at the end of this article.)

But Preston’s giving to the community hasn’t stopped during COVID19. He has consistently, for many years, been a part of dozens of musical events to help raise funds for local service organizations, schools and churches in South Florida. He is the top local talent in Miami for attracting big crowds for good causes. His dad, Paul Howell, is also a singer and has guided and inspired Preston since he was a child, helping to instill a love for musical performance, and sharing that talent with others. His brother Cleyton and mother Pam are part of Team Preston, as well.

You may have seen Preston C. Howell, but not known who he was if you follow Pentatonix’s new youth a ccapella singing group, Acapop!KIDS. Pentatonix was started by Kirston Maldonado, Mitch Grassi and Scott Hoying, all from Arlington, Texas. For over 10 years they have been a worldwide popular musical sensation. Acapop!KIDS is their more recent youth singing ensemble with massive numbers of followers on YouTube. Just search YouTube for Acapop!KIDS. They have produced and released dozens of popular cover tunes (Shallow has 15 million views) using clever a ccapella musical arrangements and top-notch professional video editing. Like Preston, all the company members are professional youth performers. You can hear Preston singing bass at the young age of 14 in the incredible cover of Bohemian Rhapsody. YouTube has tracked over 2 million views of the Queen cover song. The video was released just 4 months before the Pandemic began, twenty months ago.?One of the singers, Nolan Gibbons, 15, a young tenor in the Acapap!KIDS company, unexpectedly and tragically passed away in the summer of 2020, but apparently not related to COVID19.?Nolan has bright red hair and a giant smile. Acapop!KIDS Bohemian Rhapsody is not available to be played on LikedIn at the moment, but enjoy it by going directly to YouTube. Acapop!KIDS Bohemian Rhapsody:

Link (copy/paste): https://youtu.be/whyW6zDsCDk

But here is their cover of One Republic's Kids.......

Amazing productions, with super talented youth, takes your breath away and instills in our own hearts, the feeling we can do anything despite COVID19. ?Anything to a performer means also writing and producing your own music. Preston is a composer and song writer. Check out this great new music video, Supply and Demand, by Preston C. Howell…

(Original Song: Supply and Demand, by Preston C. Howell)?

Seven years ago, for his first music video, Preston (11-years-old at the time) released to the world an astonishing cover of Michael Jackson’s Who’s Lovin’ You??If you look away, you’d think the King of Pop is actually singing this song. No, it’s Preston C. Howell and the vocal performance and all elements of the video production are amazing. You will need to copy the link and paste, it is not available from LinkedIn to embed in this article, but it is an amazing performance, seems like the King of Pop is singing, but it's Preston C. Howell...

Link (copy/paste): https://youtu.be/8TyHXcixPlc (Smokey Robinson 1960, Michael Jackson Who’s Lovin You?)

? Preston will soon graduate from high school, has been on-set every day during December 2021, filming a new holiday movie - to be released November 2022, called Once Upon a Christmas Eve. It is directed by West Palm’s, Dominic Giannetti, and stars Hector David, Jr. (Power Rangers, Percy Jackson and the Olympians at IMDB.com) and Najee De-Tiege (“Blue Ranger” from Power Rangers Super Samurai, IMDB.com) on Nickelodeon, along with Preston.

Preston feels the world can’t wait to be entertained when it is challenged by so many problems. He feels musical entertainment makes people feel better, have more hope, and are?focused on a time when normalcy returns to American life and culture. Personally, I think this is Preston C. Howell’s Prelude to Broadway moment and that he hopes the curtains will go back up on Broadway, soon. They will.?

Finally, to see an inspiring example of a Broadway duet, watch this remarkable video of Preston and Fabi Aguirre singing The Prayer, written by David Foster, Carole Bayer Sager, Alberto Testa and Tony Renis, and made popular by Celine Dion and Andrea Bocelli, in the1998 film Quest for Camelot). You'll need to copy and paste the link for The Prayer, but it's worth it:

Link: (copy/) paste: https://youtu.be/KtARmGMNLVQ

Preston…Broadway…for sure…soon!

Introducing 15-Year-Old Cole Lam

Over in England, audiences in London, Windsor and Surrey, all across the UK, and in dozens of train stations and shopping malls, 15-year-old, classically trained pianist Cole Lam is fast becoming an European Superstar, make that a MAJOR European Superstar. Much of it due to his unselfishly playing the piano in public spaces during COVID19. To Cole, it doesn’t matter how large the crowd is, or isn’t. ?Cole live-streams every other Sunday afternoon on YouTube at 5 pm (UK Time) for free…worldwide. Have questions or want to meet Cole online and see if he can really play by ear? ?Send a message early enough…hundreds of young people have appeared on split screen all the time, singing with or accompanying Cole on another instrument, or being surprised by his perfect pitch and ability to immediately play back any song he hears. His total internet views and likes on all internet platforms combined is approaching 100 million!??? What Pandemic?

?? Cole has taken the assertive position that people need music. They need to hear their favorite song, played live, and they want to feel engaged, and part of the performance. People want to say “hi” or tell Cole Lam that Walking in the Air arrangement was spectacular, or make a comment and tell him thanks. In fact, just few days ago, Cole posted his piano performance from the famous holiday classic film The Snowman by composer Howard Blake. Watch the amazing Cole Lam, whose fingers indeed seem to be walking on air…

(Walking in the Air/Howard Blake)

Usually, the more popular videos are those where Cole plays in public on pianos that are placed in train stations, where not only can you watch Cole play, but also people watch those that encounter him.?All ages, and creed would turn a head, or strop and watch him play. The perennial Marish Christmas song, All I want for Christmas, was posted just before Christmas and has garnered over 10,000 views.

Almost 90 million people have watched Cole’s Bohemian Rhapsody performance on the public piano at the London St. Pancras Train Station.

Cole Lam was in the London’s West End Gillian Lynne Theatre musical production, of Andrew Lloyd Weber’s School of Rock, playing the young key board character, Lawrence. Upon competition of his year’s contract, Cole was especially invited back to perform multiple special events, including being selected from numerous talented keyboardists and musicians to perform for Andrew Lloyd Weber’s 70th birthday celebration performance, in front of A-List media, musical celebrities, as well as, the Royal Family, and of course, Andrew Lloyd Weber himself.

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? Cole’s on-line presence is mega-huge. With 725,000 subscribers on YouTube, and over 250,000 followers on Facebook, he is one of the most watched (on-line) young performers in the world, rivaling Poland’s Marcin Patrzalek, acoustic guitarist and finger percussionist. ?About 90 million people have watched his Bohemian Rhapsody performance on the public piano at the London St. Pancras Train Station over two years ago, with 1.2 million likes…

?Link: https://youtu.be/Xyly33IQIrE (Bohemian Rhapsody Public Piano-Cole Lam/Queen)

Cole’s parents have been instrumental in making their son’s music assessable during the last two years. They have encouraged him in learning to play the piano, keyboard, guitar, clarinet, and other instruments. Cole is a successful composer and arranger and offers sheet music of his arrangements online. Even though he writes original compositions, he can play just about any song after hearing it for less than a minute. His parents oversee and make public performance piano arrangements, normally playing on, not always well-tuned pianos in public spaces, they grip all the video and sound equipment and make performance arrangements, as well.

Another string to his bow, is Cole’s amazing memory and recall.?Following a chemistry lesson in school, he memorized the entire Periodic Table, and after being taught Circles and Pi in Mathematics, Cole proceeded to learn 100 digits of Pi, which he had combined with his music ability, reciting 100 digits of Pi while playing the piano…blindfolded.

(Reciting 100 digits of Pi, Whilst Playing the Piano Blindfolded/Cole Lam)

Combining his memory and recall, with his perfect pitch (also known as Absolute Pitch), during the COVID19 lockdown, which prevented him from going out to play in public, Cole took to going to online chatrooms (Omegle.com) where he asked for piano song requests.?When Cole did not know the requested song, he would listen to the song once, and immediately play it back to the amazement of his online guests.

?(Live Chatroom Piano Requests/Cole Lam)

Like Preston C. Howell’s family, Cole’s family engages the audience, normally providing free public pop-up events. It is a remarkable journey Cole and his family have provided to a global community starving for musical entertainment. Just last week he performed holiday music, for a few hundred in-person, stop-n-go audience members, but with 10,000+ views on YouTube, and in a simple train station near London. Watch what Cole Lam offers people everywhere, and no ticket is required…

Link: https://youtu.be/n0ftTYdNrfs

Cole Lam and Preston C. Howell are paving the way for young artists to continue their careers in the midst of a tragic disease. They are giving audiences, in person, and on the internet…hope. And as 2022 begins, these two entertainers are not stopping for a minute. Yes, there is a global illness that has brought death to many millions. But as we survive, and follow the advice of health experts, we will get beyond it.

While we do, enjoy these two youngsters and many more just like them in 2022. Below are ways to engage with Cole and Preston’s musical work and still enjoy live musical performances for free…frequently, and support hope for us all.

?LinkedIn article written by Richard D. Stafford (Dick Stafford)

Additional performance connections for Preston and Cole:

?Preston C. Howell… FaceBook: Preston C. Howell Instagram: prestonchowell Twitter: PrestonCHowell SnapChat: prestonchowell1????? TikToc: @prestonchowell IMDB: Preston C. Howell www.ACAPOPkids.com

?Preston’s outdoor concerts are live-streamed on his Instagram page, join his page by following, and he will post the dates when they continue. Since it is outside, weather is sometimes a factor. Tip Jar available for live audience attendees.

Preston C. Powell-Flor Palida cover/Marc Anthony

Preston C. Howell- https://youtu.be/REcgCRXx9Yg. (Lewis Capaldi Before You Go)

Preston C. Howell-A Capella Academy https://fb.watch/a5GS3Lum82/

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And Info on Cole Lam…

YouTube: www.youtube.com/ColeLam FaceBook: Cole Lam?? Instagram: @colelam2007 Twitter: @colelam2007 Cole usually live-streams at 5 pm on every other Sunday – (UK time), follow him on YouTube for live-stream, he has a Patron gift account scrolled on bottom of screen during live-streaming and available to donate at www.patreon.com/colelam Cole Lam’s sheet music downloads are available at Musicnotes.com https://www.musicnotes.com/sheet-music/artist/cole-lam

Cole Lam Arrangement (Sound of Silence Simon and Garfunkel) https://youtu.be/NHiy5sU8Cd0

Cole Lam Live-Stream Sample/Tony Bennett Romance https://youtu.be/v0wN-v-RHOg

Cole Lam-Live-stream call in request: https://youtu.be/h3HUPv6LUEM (All I want for Christmas)

?(Richard (Dick) Stafford is an American journalist and journalism and communication instructor at Georgia State University in Atlanta, Georgia and Young Harris College in the North Georgia/Blue Ridge Mountains. His published interviews include American playwrights Arthur Miller and Edward Albee, former New York Times editor, Frank Rich. His writing has appeared in the Atlanta Journal Constitution, The San Antonio Express, Southern Living, Northeast Georgia Living, NowHabersham.com, and The Times in Columbia, South Carolina. He has written 6 books of fiction and non-fiction and over 100 magazine articles, three stage plays and two musicals. He regularly writes for LinkedIn.com. He is a supporter and mentor to students in Santa Rosa, Honduras. He is an avid ZIPLINE participant and has traveled to over 40 countries across the globe. Photo by VanishingLens