Mitchell is 12 years old and currently attends 7th grade in middle school. He has been playing the piano for five years and the violin for three years. He receives private piano lessons once a week and private violin lessons twice a week.Mitchell plays violin for the Greater Bridgeport Youth Orchestra. After an audition, he was recently double promoted to the Symphony Orchestra. He had previously spent a year as second violin in the Strings Orchestra. The Symphony Orchestra is for advanced musicians and serves as a talent pool for the Principal Orchestra.Mitchell has received three gold certificates and one silver certificate for piano for the Young Musicians Festival, organized by the Schubert Society of Fairfield. This year, he has been fortunate to earn enough credits for a coveted Gold Cup.Mitchell was born with a very rare genetic disease called Autosomal Recessive Polycystic Kidney Disease aka ARPKD. It affects his kidneys, liver, pancreas, spleen, esophageus and endocrinal glands, among other organs. It also affects his blood pressure, eyesight and aural senses. It used to affect his brain and his heart as well. When Mitchell was ten months old, he received a living donor kidney transplant, with his mother donating her right kidney. It was a struggle tending to Mitchell in utero, and even more of a challenge getting him to ten months old. Mitchell lost his older sister 11 months before he was born to the same genetic disease.Mitchell suffers from high functioning Asperger's Autism, a condition that is genetically present on both sides of his extended family. His young 3 year old brother and his father also have Asperger's Autism, all to varying degree.Besides music, Mitchell has an immense passion for art, languages and horses. Mitchell engages in therapeutic horseback riding every week with the Pegasus program. Mitchell is a good student in middle school. Mitchell is a spelling bee champion and a good chess player. Mitchell has an incredible memory, and when he is passionate about something, he goes to all lengths to memorize all possible facts. I am positive that Mitchell knows 99% of all songs released in the 1950s, 1960s and early 1970s. Yes, he knows the songs of my era ten times better than I do. This is Mitchell naming all the Presidents at age 10.This is Mitchell doing a quick sketch of the Mona Lisa on the chalkboard.This is Mitchell drawing the Mona Lisa using his marbles.Brahms - Hungarian Dance - 2008Vivaldi - Violin Concerto in A Minor - 2007Mozart - Eine Kleine Nachtmusik - 2007Mozart - Eine Kleine Nachtmusik - Concert 2007Knecht Rupert by Schuman - Young Musicians Festival 2008 - Gold CupSophisticated Fingers - 2008Young Musicians Festival 2007 - Gold CertificateFur Elise by Beethoven - School Talent Show 2006
