MPH Eighth Grader to Appear on WSYR’s Extraordinary Talent

MPH eighth grader Paul DiFolco will appear on WSYR’s Extraordinary Talent segment Tuesday November 20 at 5:30 p.m. and Wednesday, November 21 at 6:15 a.m. The segment will air again on Bridge Street Wednesday at 10:00 a.m.

Paul started playing piano at the age of five in San Diego, California. He joined Russell Posegate’s Studio in Ithaca in 2014 and enrolled at MPH in 2017. In addition to his piano lessons, he also studies viola and is a member of the school choir. He is already an accomplished musician with many accolades and achievements on his resume. Just to name a few…

  • Paul has participated in the National Piano Guild Association Auditions each year since 2015 and this year he is pursuing the prestigious Bach Medal (intermediate level), in which he is required to perform 15 memorized pieces by Bach.
  • In 2017 Paul was the recipient of the Annual Memorial Van Buskirk Creative and Performing Arts Award for an original composition he wrote inspired by the life of Nicola Tesla.
  • In 2018 Paul was the recipient of the Annie Stiles Ripley Scholarship award to attend to Ithaca College Piano summer Institute.
  • From 2015 to 2016 Paul was a dedicated member of a chamber music ensemble for Opus Ithaca School of Music.
  • In 2018 he participated in NYSSMA for piano, voice, and viola.
  • Paul has performed full solo recitals at Wells College in Aurora and at the First Unitarian Church in Ithaca. He is currently preparing another recital for Spring 2019 in Syracuse, NY.

Congratulations to Paul, as his continued hard work has certainly paid off! We look forward to seeing him on WSYR next week!