Celebrating The Spectrum Piano Festival at Michigan State

Check out Celebrating the Spectrum student Gavi Polyntsev's YouTube channel. Piano, Organ, and Martial Arts presented with excitement and style!

Gavi Polyntsev - autistic pianist and organist

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of David Ginther, a cherished member of our student community. David was an integral part of Celebrating the Spectrum, having participated since its inception in 2016. He embodied enthusiasm, creativity, and a genuine passion for MSU, inspiring numerous students, teachers, and mentors throughout the years. David possessed a remarkable zest for life and an infectious energy that illuminated our time together. His obituary can be found here:

Obituary information for David P. Ginther View David P. Ginther's obituary, contribute to their memorial, see their funeral service details, and more.

It's been an awesome week at Celebrating the Spectrum. We hope you can join us on Saturday August 2 at 4pm at Cook Recital Hall for our finale recital.

Celebrating the Spectrum 2025 begins Monday evening with a welcome recital by pianist-mentors from the MSU College of Music. Please join us for an evening of beautiful music.

Celebrating the Spectrum Welcome Concert Michigan State University College of Music

Celebrating the Spectrum is only one month away. Read about our exceptional 2025 students here: https://music.msu.edu/programs-initiatives/celebrating-the-spectrum/program-students/

We welcome 7 exceptional graduate students in piano from MSU as mentors. Their biographies can be found here: https://music.msu.edu/programs-initiatives/celebrating-the-spectrum/program-mentors/

Program Students Michigan State University College of Music

Please consider becoming a sponsor for the Celebrating the Spectrum Piano Festival for students with Autism. Please contact Derek Kealii Polischuk at [email protected] with questions about how you can support and get involved.

The varied life experiences of Celebrating the Spectrum students are quite different than how Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. describes them. Our students have found incredible success as artists, students, employees, athletes, citizens, and ambassadors for the Autism community. When RFK Jr. claims that autistic people "will never pay taxes. They'll never hold a job. They'll never play baseball. They'll never write a poem. They'll never go out on a date," he fails to see the tremendous ability of individuals with Autism as well as the life lessons that neurotypical people can learn from sincere interactions with neurodiverse people.

Take a moment to enjoy this video of Celebrating the Spectrum alum Spencer Hua performing one of the most challenging and iconic works in the piano repertoire.

Franz Liszt - La Campanella - Spencer Hua Celebrating the Spectrum Piano Festival - Michigan State University - Public Concert July 21, 2018Celebrating the Spectrum is an annual week-long program hel...

Celebrating the Spectrum alumni mentor Ling Lo is doing great work in North Dakota: https://blogs.und.edu/und-today/2025/04/und-will-host-its-first-sensory-family-concert/?fbclid=IwY2xjawJdhNRleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHk4iPn77DXa445FJwBaSI4QndbXicpEGdLKClOhnbfrF36L5q_rT6Ahi6Q8l_aem_NAogLpGpLks15R_PlYwU8A

UND will host its first Sensory Family Concert - UND Today Participants can grab fidget toys, fluttering scarves to flow with the rhythm of the music at UND's first Sensory Family Concert

Deborah Moriarty and Derek Kealii Polischuk gave a keynote address at the International Conference on Neurodiversity in Shanghai and Putian China on their work at Celebrating the Spectrum. The theme of this year's conference was "True Colors: Expression, Inclusive Arts, and Neurodiverse Perspectives."

Rex Lewis-Clack is doing amazing and important work!

A program empowering musicians with autism and blindness A unique heartwarming holiday performance