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Camiah McNeal
At 11 years old, Camiah McNeal was the youngest recitalist to
play at Chicago's Orchestra Hall.
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At just 12 years old, Camiah McNeal, from Chicago, is already living up to her name, which comes from a North African word for leader. Behind her sweet smile and bubbly personality is a fiercely determined girl who has overcome many barriers to become an accomplished pianist and writer.
During pregnancy, an ultrasound revealed to Fredna and Campbell McNeal that their daughter had meconium ileus, an obstruction of the intestine and a telltale sign of cystic fibrosis. After only a moment’s hug from her parents at birth, Camiah was whisked away to another hospital where a sweat test confirmed she had cystic fibrosis (CF), and she immediately underwent intestinal surgery.
Since then, Camiah has faced many battles familiar to those with CF, including digestive problems, which require her to take enzymes with every meal, and several hospital stays. Through each of these trials, Camiah has flourished.
“When I was a baby, I used to bang on the piano keys,” she says laughing. But now, “I feel very proud. I have a new power…a kind of talent. It’s awesome.” In 2003, Camiah began honing her talent at the prestigious Merit School of Music. That same year, she published two books, My Marvelous Mom and The Kids Treasury of Poems. Her poetry was also featured in Chicago Parent magazine.
A year later, the Make-A-Wish Foundation gave Camiah a chance to have any one wish granted. She wanted to play the piano for Chicago Mayor Richard Daley and his wife Maggie at Orchestra Hall. “He is always doing things for other people. I just wanted to do something nice for him,” she says. The concert, which took place on December 9, 2004, made Camiah, then 11, the youngest recitalist to play at Orchestra Hall in its 100-year history.
Following the concert, The Lake Forest Symphony invited her to be a guest conductor for its 4th of July celebration. Recently, she played at the 92nd Annual Women’s Bar Association of Illinois and at the Greater Illinois Chapter’s Chef’s Gala.
Aside from the piano, Camiah loves to bake cookies and cupcakes with her grandmother, plays chess and knits. Now in seventh grade, Camiah already has high hopes for her future. “I want to be a teacher like my mom and a famous musician. If I could be all of those combined, it would be really nice.”
Posted 10/14/06 |
