On March 8, 1996, I was born prematurely at the University of Michigan Hospital, weighing one pound and 13 ounces. I am a surviving twin. After emergency surgery, I spent 100 days in the hospital incubator with recorded music playing Beethoven, Mozart, and The Beatles (More to follow on this later).
In late 1999, I was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome. Autism gives me a variety of strengths and weaknesses not typical in the average human being. I face challenges such as a soft speaking voice, long processing time when asked a question, and problems with conversational participation. I’ve also had many physical therapies throughout my life and have many other health issues.
I’ve had many “passions” about things such as doors, watches, voice recorders, weather stations, and ham radio, but I’ve always loved music. I vaguely remember a recognizable Mozart piece playing in my incubator as an infant. This was only the beginning to my amazing and musical journey through life. Since that time, I really love the music of performers like Joshua Bell, Yo-Yo Ma, AC/DC, Green Day, Katy Perry, Ariana Grande, and many others - so much that I want to be a professional musician. As a violinist, my main goal in life is to become a player in one of the nation’s major orchestras.
I read many of the Autism Awareness posts on Facebook, and I hope that I can be a role model and an inspiration to young people diagnosed with autism. I am excited to attend the University of Michigan next fall, working towards a dual degree in violin performance and composition. My violin teacher, Stephen Shipps, has helped me in so many ways.
You can find a video of my most recent performance (and others) during the 2014 Cambridge International String Academy at Trinity College in the UK by going to YouTube and searching for "Stuart Carlson." I was honored to perform John Williams’ “Theme from Schindler’s List” with pianist Rohan DeSilva, and my own arrangement of “Amazing Grace” with Yuzuko Horigome on piano. I hope that you are as inspired by these two pieces as I am.
Dexter, MI
