Norman Bemelmans - So Far . . . by Jeff Reid

As a youth, Norman Bemelmans aspired to be an astronaut.  Perhaps there was something about the allure of space or the distinction of being one of the chosen few. Instead, his life path took him another direction, but perhaps no less distinct in notoriety. He became a renowned pianist, giving his first public concert at the age of seven.

Born into an Austrian family significantly involved in the arts, Norman studied with such luminaries as Jean Houpt, Patrizia Benckmann and Ozan Marsh. “My father was a very fine professional musician---conductor, composer and author. I spent time in a variety of locations with him. He was determined that I was going to be a musician as well,” he says with a smile.  Considering himself fortunate to live in a home where music was an integral part of the daily routine, Norman exhibited a pianistic facility at an early age, so it seemed the natural path to follow.

Bemelmans earned a Bachelor of Music Performance at UNC-Chapel Hill in 1977 and became a professional pianist touring under the sponsorship of Pobitzer Artists International and the Franz Liszt Foundation. Then in 1984, with a desire for something different, he accepted the position as the first music director at WHQR and moved to Wilmington. Bemelmans remembers the station’s early days as being “great fun”. “We had an incredibly energetic, creative and somewhat whacky feisty staff who put the station on the air. The original studios were located in a most interesting strip mall on Greenfield Street---the general ambience of which added an additional element of excitement to the operation,” he recalls. “At that time, public radio was new to Wilmington and the community was excited, supportive and enthusiastic,” he remembers.  “I believe we laid the foundation for a strong community public radio service, and managed to involve the community in a great deal of fun at the same time.” Then in 1989, he moved on and “did public broadcasting things in Atlanta for about 10 years” and finally returned to Wilmington in 2001. Presently he serves as Director of Cultural Arts at the University of North Carolina Wilmington.

Despite his busy work schedule, Bemelmans still finds time for his music. “I practice one to two hours a day generally, and a little more prior to any major performance,” he states. With fifteen concert dates scheduled this year - mostly out of town – Norman has initiated a “concerted” effort to do more public performances. Inclined to program the music that interests him most, he is keen that “an audience can sense when a performer is truly involved with the music.”  Last fall, he was the guest soloist with the Wilmington Symphony performing Liszt, one of his favorite composers. “No other composer understood the piano as he did,” he confesses.

In his leisure and depending on his mood, Norman listens to mostly classical music…“Bach, who is a musical universe unto himself. But I also have a real fondness for jazz by the great jazz artists. There’s an energy and creativity in the jazz idiom that I greatly admire.” But he will try anything once. “My son suggested I give this Norwegian rock group whose name escapes me a listen. They shout hymns to the old Viking gods in a rambunctiously boisterous fashion. Interesting, albeit loud,” he confesses.

Practicing and performing piano and with his duties at UNCW, Bemelmans’ life if full. But surprisingly, there are still things on his “to do” list.  When asked if he composes music as well, he smiles and responds with a sigh, “No, the only original composing work I’ve done was essentially composition class assignments, which doesn’t count.   I was always interested in the possibility, but just never got around to it. It’s like being an astronaut, an unfulfilled aspiration………so far.”