SSM Health Trefford Center in Fond du Lac will be hosting Archipelago 2026, a global savant gathering from 5 to 10 p.m.
tomorrow evening at the Prairie Theater and Event Center.
On the Fond du Lac County campus in Fond du Lac, the event will bring together individuals from around the world with a savant syndrome
And one of those special individuals is Derek Amato, who is a musical savant.
How do you feel about that word, savant?
It kind of does pigeonhole a person, doesn't
it?
Good morning, Bob.
You know, I think it's a big word.
And I've always casually joked that sounds like a French pastry to me, so I've never paid much attention to the title.
And I've had more fun with it than using it as a power play, if you will.
Right.
So yeah, it is a little bit, but it's a big title nonetheless.
And we're incredibly excited for 20 to be joining us this year for you.
Wow.
Wow.
OK.
Now, some people are born with special abilities.
Yours was kind of acquired through an accident.
Tell us about that, if you would, please.
Back in 2006, I think October 27th is precisely the date, actually.
I was on holiday and got together with a couple buddies that I've grown up with since I was a kid.
And we started throwing a football, a little football around over the swimming pool.
And I had the bright idea of diving over the water to catch the ball and miscalculated to the depth.
And I struck the bottom of the pool.
with the left side of my upper head and damaged the right lower back end of my brain and that was the start and that's what started the whole thing and then of course I was taken for medical and then five days later I woke up from a five-day sleep at my mother's house and went over to visit the guy that was with me, one of my best friends, Rick, and he had a little
keyboard over in the corner in his apartment.
I just felt drawn to go sit at it.
And I did.
And the next six hours I sat and played trying to figure out what was going on.
And I still had to go home to my mother's house that evening and somehow explain that I was playing piano to a person that I just got done coming home from the hospital with with a brain injury.
So I knew that was going to be a challenging moment.
Yeah.
So now, you had some musical ability prior to this, but nothing leaps and bounds, right?
I mean, I
grew up an athlete and I always had that, you know, I always wanted to fly.
I always wanted to be a rock star.
I always wanted to be a professional pitcher.
I always wanted to be a fighter.
I had a list of all these items.
And I think at that time I had to make a decision like, what am I supposed to do with this?
Am I supposed to share it?
Am I supposed to make a band and go on tour?
Am I supposed to speak about it?
And I just, you know, at that time decided I had to support Dr. Treffer early on.
And I just decided to walk away from my corporate job and do everything I could to package my experience into
I guess something that would give the audience a deeper look into the possibility to the human potential.
And I figured if I can stand on stage in front of people and tell them my story, I am that possibility standing right in front of them.
So I don't know what your history is since 2006.
You've had at least one or two albums and a book.
Is there
more?
I'm working on more.
As we speak, I had a car accident in 2019.
So I stepped away for physical therapy and rehab for five and a half years.
I put my neck and arms and all my bones.
So it took a long time to put me back together.
And during that five and a half years, I didn't touch an instrument.
for probably four and a half, maybe four of those years, I didn't touch piano or anything.
I was not only recovering, I was angry.
My body was in that position and broke in, and it was gonna take forever to put it back together at this age.
I'm 59 now, and I knew it was gonna be a process, but I didn't expect it to be five and a half years of recovery.
And here we are today.
I think I'm recovered as good as it's going to get.
I have a little more crookedness in my walk and my neck's a
little
more linked to the right.
And hey, I have no complaints.
I'm so lucky to be here.
So you're around 60 now, right?
You had the accident when you were about 40?
Yeah.
I like to sound a 59 better.
It's just, you know, I got, I got eight, six more months, man.
You gotta let me just enjoy it.
Yeah, that's a milestone.
I'm going on 60 and I think I'm actually turning 16.
So you get the body of an old guy and you get the creativity of a young beautiful brain, I guess.
That's a good outlook, I guess.
All right, so people will have a chance to hear you played tomorrow night.
Have you got anything special picked out?
You know, we got a really kind of different display for Friday, and I'm going to be working with one of the artists, one of the sub artists on the panel, and I'm going to actually perform while she's doing her work live on stage.
So I'm going to score
to her movement, to her brush movement, et cetera.
So this is something a little new for my team, because usually I work so low, but I saw the opportunity to be able to kind of collaborate in some way with one of the sabbatists on the panel, and we started talking about different ideas and landed on that.
So that's what I'll be doing Friday, and I'll be hosting.
Kind of doing a little, I'm wearing a couple different hats this year.
So I'll be out in the crowd and then I'll be at a booth.
And then downtown Fond du Lac for the sub-op stroll this evening.
Do you like the interaction with the crowds?
That's a tricky question because the level of noise and I'm fairly sensitive to loud sounds and bangs and that.
But once I'm interacting, it seems to
kind of be my buffer of recognizing all the extra sounds and things going on.
So the interaction, quite frankly, is my favorite part of the day.
I mean, I love being on stage because it's my safe place, if you will, and I get to go into my little space that is way out in left field.
But it's the connection with everyone that I'm after.
I'm in search of that deeper connection.
And I've always believed we can just simply do better and bigger.
So that's the direction I'm going at this age now.
All right.
If you're interested in seeing Derrick tomorrow night, you have to register for Archipelago 2026.
That can be accomplished by going to www.AmazingSamans.com.
Derrick, anything else people should know about
your...
I mean, there's so many wonderful little bits and pieces in between the entire day Friday, but I do want to point out that this is the very, very first time that, you know, Prodigy Saban, Rex Lewis, Clack, Prodigy Saban's blind piano player, Tony DeGloy, and myself and Dr. Tony Secoria, the other piano player from New York.
This is the first time in history that four piano player sabans have ever shared the stage.
And to me, that's kind of a
a wonderful highlight.
And to have Stephen Wilcher here this year is a very big deal.
And I would strongly suggest everybody swing by and take a look at his drawing of Milwaukee.
It's absolutely stunning.
We've been talking with Derek Amato, who is a musical savant.
