Domingo Mancuello says people constantly call him an “old soul”—and he’s the first to admit that they’re right.
“Every day, it feels like I’m living in the wrong time period,” said the 25-year old Lancaster resident. “I love to tell people I wanted to be a steam locomotive engineer, but that wasn’t practical, so I had to go into theater instead. But playing ragtime piano isn’t practical either.”
The practicality of his career choices aside, Mancuello is making a name for himself in central Pennsylvania’s theater, musical and art circles. This is his second season as a production assistant at the Fulton Theatre, which he describes as a “dream job” following his apprenticeship at Philadelphia’s Walnut Theatre and graduation from the University of the Arts.
His hobby and side gig as a pianist sound logical for a young guy immersed in the theater. But his specialty—ragtime and popular music from the 1890s to 1940s—puts Mancuello’s “old soul” directly in the spotlight.
Bouncy, Happy
“I always wanted to play ragtime because my grandfather was a singer in a barbershop quartet, and I was exposed to songs from the 1920s from a young age,” Mancuello recalled.
Growing up in suburban Philadelphia, one of his childhood memories includes a life-changing trip with his grandfather to an antiques shop during a search for phonograph needles. Mancuello said that he was transfixed by a player piano “magically” playing ragtime music.
When Mancuello was 4 years old, his parents gave him a tiny Wurlitzer piano for Christmas, and he taught himself how to play “When the Saints Go Marching In” by ear. At the age of 6, he began piano lessons but encountered several obstacles—dyslexia and vision issues affected his ability to read music. His mother regularly “blew up” his music on a copier so that he could better focus on the notes.
By fifth grade, his parents granted his wish for a player piano, and he began collecting rolls of music. Today, his collection includes about 200 rolls, rivaled only by his early 1900s sheet music collection, which numbers close to 5,000. Perhaps music is in his genes, as well. In addition to his musically inclined grandfather, Mancuello’s cousin is a successful pop singer in Paraguay—his father’s native country.
What is it about ragtime music that captured him from such a young age?
“There is an old-timey charm to it,” Mancuello said “Ragtime is bouncy, happy music. The easiest way to describe it is as speakeasy music coming out of a bar or saloon in an old movie, at its simplest.”
Its name, “ragtime,” describes its syncopated or “ragged” beat.
Despite his challenges, Mancuello said that he has an edge over most pianists who attempt ragtime.
“There’s a lot of chord-jumping from one octave to another that’s super-fast in the left hand,” he said. “So, the fact that my dominant hand is my left, I can just let it go, and focus on the melody in my right hand.”
In Mancuello’s sophomore year of college, he stumbled upon the 1920 song, “Whispering,” which inspired him to create his own arrangement and start playing “seriously.” So much so that he competed in the World Championship Old-Time Piano Playing Contest, placing fourth in 2013 and third in 2014. He looks forward to returning to the 2018 competition on Memorial Day weekend.
Does he listen to any popular music today?
“I’m more and more tolerant of it,” he said, with a smile.
Charm, Innocence
Mancuello recently played his largest solo concert, an invitation-only event at Theatre Harrisburg hosted by Jay and Nancy Krevsky.
Within the first few minutes, his music had the audience tapping their toes, smiling, clapping and, finally, bursting into song during “It Had to Be You” and several other old standards. In between tunes with colorful titles such as “12th Street Rag,” “Down Where the Sun Goes Down,” “Sweet Sugar Man” and “Happy Days are Here Again,” Mancuello regaled the crowd of nearly 100 with stories of little-known facts (Did you know Johnny Maddox is the only ragtime pianist with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame?) and tales about charming themes (such as the moon) found in ragtime and in turn-of-the-century tunes.
“Anyone recognize that tune?” Mancuello asked at the end of one number.
When hands shot into the air, he looked excited enough to bounce right off his piano bench. His own charm, innocence and energy seemed to match the evening’s selections.
“It was extremely encouraging,” Mancuello said. “It was the best-received concert I’ve ever done. I’ve never had a room just burst into song like that.”
Jay Krevsky first heard Mancuello play piano at the home of friends Mary Ann and Richard Morse of Mechanicsburg.
“When he started to play, I couldn’t believe my ears,” Krevsky recalled.
He knew he had to introduce Mancuello to more Harrisburg-area arts aficionados.
“He was fantastic—he exceeded my expectations,” Krevsky said, following the Theatre Harrisburg concert. “Could you keep your foot still? That’s what’s great about ragtime.”
The buzz continued long after the final notes, as attendees posed for photos with the pianist, chatted with him and thanked the Krevskys.
“Not only does he play ragtime well, but he charms people, too,” said Mary Ann Morse. “I’m a pianist also, but he’s a phenom.”
A tragic national news story had broken earlier that day, and Krevsky acknowledged it was “the elephant in the room” that evening. But he felt it best not to mention it during his welcoming and closing remarks and simply let Mancuello’s music lift the audience and their spirits.
“Music unifies people,” said Nancy Krevsky. “The age of the music doesn’t matter. Instead of dwelling on the differences between people, music creates harmony, and that’s what we need in this world.”
You can watch videos of Domingo Mancuello play on YouTube. To contact him about performances and bookings, email domingo.mancuello@gmail.com.
