Piano Squall
Encyclopedia
Piano Squall is the stage name of Michael Gluck, a concert pianist who performs music from video games and anime to fundraise for charity.
—a Japanese composer who wrote the soundtrack to the popular Final Fantasy
video game series. Gluck was so inspired by the music of Final Fantasy that he decided to study piano so that he could learn to play it. Because the availability of sheet music for video game soundtracks was extremely limited at the time, Gluck quickly developed the ability to translate what he was hearing in the game onto the piano by ear. Over the years, he continued to write down his arrangements and ultimately created an extensive music library from a wide variety of video games and anime.
in Arlington, Virginia. As of 2008, Gluck had been a musical guest at more than thirty anime conventions, including Sakura-Con
'06 and '07, A-Kon '06, and Otakon
'05, where he performed for an audience of three thousand people. He continues to tour at conventions throughout North America.
In 2007, Gluck released his debut charity album, entitled GAME. For creating GAME, Gluck was presented with a Special Recognition Award by video game composer Tommy Tallarico and the Game Audio Network Guild at the 2008 Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, California.
In 2008, Gluck was employed by videogame publisher EA to create an orchestral arrangement of the Ultima Online
main theme, which was featured in the official trailer entitled “Fall of Magincia”. On his performance website, Gluck provides the sheet music of his original arrangements for free download.
. Devastated by the news, Michael focused his efforts on fighting the disease by donating all revenue from concerts and a portion of all revenue from merchandise sales to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society
. He has also held Benefit Concerts that have raised money for a wide variety of charities, including Baltimore Reads, The Matthew Foster Foundation, The Maryland Food Bank, and Tsunami Relief.
Background
Michael Gluck was born in Hollywood, Florida. At the age of nine, he became fascinated with the music of Nobuo UematsuNobuo Uematsu
is a Japanese video game composer, best known for scoring the majority of titles in the Final Fantasy series. He is considered as one of the most famous and respected composers in the video game community...
—a Japanese composer who wrote the soundtrack to the popular Final Fantasy
Final Fantasy
is a media franchise created by Hironobu Sakaguchi, and is developed and owned by Square Enix . The franchise centers on a series of fantasy and science-fantasy role-playing video games , but includes motion pictures, anime, printed media, and other merchandise...
video game series. Gluck was so inspired by the music of Final Fantasy that he decided to study piano so that he could learn to play it. Because the availability of sheet music for video game soundtracks was extremely limited at the time, Gluck quickly developed the ability to translate what he was hearing in the game onto the piano by ear. Over the years, he continued to write down his arrangements and ultimately created an extensive music library from a wide variety of video games and anime.
Career
In 2003, Gluck gave his first public concert at Anime USAAnime USA
Anime USA is a fandom convention for anime, manga and Japanese culture enthusiasts. It is an annual three-day event held over a weekend in Crystal City, Virginia , part of the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area...
in Arlington, Virginia. As of 2008, Gluck had been a musical guest at more than thirty anime conventions, including Sakura-Con
Sakura-Con
Sakura-Con is an annual three-day anime convention held during March or April at the Washington State Convention and Trade Center in Seattle, Washington.- Programming :...
'06 and '07, A-Kon '06, and Otakon
Otakon
Otakon is a fan convention in the United States focusing on East Asian popular culture and its fandom. The name is a portmanteau derived from convention and the Japanese word otaku...
'05, where he performed for an audience of three thousand people. He continues to tour at conventions throughout North America.
In 2007, Gluck released his debut charity album, entitled GAME. For creating GAME, Gluck was presented with a Special Recognition Award by video game composer Tommy Tallarico and the Game Audio Network Guild at the 2008 Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, California.
In 2008, Gluck was employed by videogame publisher EA to create an orchestral arrangement of the Ultima Online
Ultima Online
Ultima Online is a graphical massively multiplayer online role-playing game , released on September 24, 1997, by Origin Systems. It was instrumental to the development of the genre, and is still running today...
main theme, which was featured in the official trailer entitled “Fall of Magincia”. On his performance website, Gluck provides the sheet music of his original arrangements for free download.
Charitable Work
On May 22, 2006, Michael’s grandmother, Betty Schifter, died after a forty year battle with multiple sclerosisMultiple sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis is an inflammatory disease in which the fatty myelin sheaths around the axons of the brain and spinal cord are damaged, leading to demyelination and scarring as well as a broad spectrum of signs and symptoms...
. Devastated by the news, Michael focused his efforts on fighting the disease by donating all revenue from concerts and a portion of all revenue from merchandise sales to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society
National Multiple Sclerosis Society
The National Multiple Sclerosis Society, a United States-based non-profit organization, and its network of chapters nationwide promote research, educate, advocate on issues relating to multiple sclerosis, and organize a wide range of programs, including support for the newly diagnosed and those...
. He has also held Benefit Concerts that have raised money for a wide variety of charities, including Baltimore Reads, The Matthew Foster Foundation, The Maryland Food Bank, and Tsunami Relief.