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Sean Rhys Stirling

I studied classical piano from a very early age.
As a young adult I put together innovative and high energy bands.
We toured North America and played a broad spectrum of music. 

Always rebuilding and modifying my instruments - I acquired an early Moog™ Synthesizer and designed a computer system from scratch to handle the patching and programming for live performance. Then I modified the two octave bass pedalboard on my Hammond A-100 organ to drive the synthesizer.

I worked in Las Vegas as an accompanist/keyboardist to major stars backing them in the main showrooms, on the Tonight Show in L.A. , the Jerry Lewis telathons and similar broadcasts.  I even played for 'Old Blue Eyes' a few times.

My self-taught expertise in synthesizers and computers brought me to the attention of the Vermont company New England Digital, Corp.
With some of the top scientists in the world, I contributed to and helped promote the Synclavier™- one of the most advanced music and audio workstations ever manufactured. I wrote the bulk of the first manual for the system and then taught seminars for it at Berklee College of Music and at Dartmouth College.

Two early Synclavier® keyboards ($33,000 USD each with a racked computer.   The instrument grew within a few years to around $500,000 for a complete system.)

The computer was a proprietary design by Sydney Alonso, a true genius and a very nice fellow. The computer was quite far ahead of its time.
 It was not a PC or Mac.  Sydney called it an ABLE.

The software that ran this system was designed by a most extraordinary computer professional - 
Cameron W. Jones.  Synclavier® Digital and Cameron may be found here.


My students were - Grammy award winning record producers, world famous jazz musicians, studio design engineers, major film composers and a small collection of folks who just had too much money.

But now to the Chapman Stick™.

I occasionally did some recording and synthesizer programming in Paris.  One evening in my hotel room, out came a brochure that Emmett Chapman had sent me on the 12 String Grand™.   I had played the ten string for a few years and had marveled at the elegance and simplicity of the instrument. A thirst for new challenges was always part of my day. A career change was inevitable.

After some serious time for thought - I headed west to see Emmett Chapman. 
Emmett brought out two Grand Sticks™.   
Three weeks later  (a possible record)  I had my own Rosewood Grand.    
That was a little more than a decade ago.
I've been practicing a bit!
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©2003-2008 SeanRhys Touring
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