It may be no coincidence that Pampa musician J.A. Mejia’s middle name is Amadeus, the same as famed classical composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. “I grew up listening to a lot of Mozart,” said Jesus Amadeus Mejia, who likes to go by the initials J.A.
Asked if Mozart is an influence for his own compositions, Mejia answered, “I would say it’s a mix between Mozart and Beethoven.”
The 23-year-old multi-instrumentalist will perform several of his original piano compositions at the Buyer’s Reception on Thursday at 6:00pm for the Clarendon Arts Festival (located at the Donley Activity Center on N. Hwy 70).
Mejia also plays violin and classical guitar. Though he has copyrights for his compositions, he hasn’t had any of them published, at least not yet, Mejia said. Mejia began listening to classical music in third grade, encouraged by a teacher who saw his potential.
He’d had some instruction in accordion and a year of violin lessons. He taught himself guitar and piano, using the read-out on an electronic keyboard.
By 15, he was writing music and composed his first symphony as a high school freshman. He graduated from Pampa High School in 2008, where he played the baritone in the Harvester Band. He was accepted into the music programs of several universities, but chose a prestigious and exclusive music program offered by the University of Southern California.
At USC, he got the opportunity to study at the Universitat Mozarteum Salzburg in Austria, earning a European Master’s Degree in Classical Composition.
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