Prodigy Show ran all summer in Atlantic City, New Jersey   Mackenzie is a headliner in Prodigy Show After spending the first two weeks at an international piano camp in Vermont, Mackenzie was off to Atlantic City until September to headline in a David Saxe Production show called "Prodigy." The press release read. "Its a show that features some of the most naturally talented performers in the world. These entertainers will astound you with their unparalleled feats. The review from the Ocean City Sentinel says the dictionary defines a prodigy as a highly talented child. Prodigy brought down the rafters throughout the summer at Tropicana, where a group of extraordinary talented youngsters amazed audiences with their enthusiasm, charm and personality and outstanding talent.         In addition to working hard, performing and wowing audiences in Atlantic City, Mackenzie made lots of new friends. In this photo he's clowning around with Brandy Panfili of New Jersey; one of the singers from the show.   In these 2 photos Mackenzie can be seen signing autographs after the show and later peeking around the door of his dressing room.
Mackenzie's review from the critics at Courier Post N.J Although Mackenzie's feet don't reach the floor while seated at the piano, Mackenzie's fingers fly up and down the keyboard in a manner that belies his age.  Decked out in a tux, the mini-maestro handles the pop and classical tunes with equal facility.
Mackenzie's review from the critics at Ocean City Sentinel, N.J. Mackenzie Melemed, a nine-year-old charmer, is not just an outstanding tickler of the ivories. He has sparkling personality, confident stage presence and, above all, is a wonderful entertainer. His repertoire included "Clair de Lune" by Debussy, performed with the kind of feeling and emotion unusual for such a young person, some jazz numbers that demonstrated his brilliant technique, and, as a finale, "It's Still Rock 'n' Roll to Me," by Billy Joel.
Mackenzie's review from the critics at The New York Daily News "Prodigy" is merely a stepping-stone for Mackenzie Melemed of Paxton, Mass, a 9-year-old piano whiz whose feet barely reach the pedals of a grand piano. Although fond of playing Mozart, Melemed already had lofty goals for a popular music career. This kid has bigger fish to fry. "I want to be the next Billy Joel," he says firmly, and to that end Melemed occasionally attempts to sing while accompanying himself on the piano. Melemed has recorded an album (which he tries to sell to a reporter during an interview} and proudly points out that he has written a few songs--"37,000 feet" and "A Single Snowflake." "They're kind of classical, but also a little softer and gentler," he says, speaking in carefully measured sentences. "I guess it's kind of like New Age."
Eastern Pines Convalescent Center in Atlantic City Mackenzie went through the yellow pages to look up locations for Nursing Homes in Atlantic City to volunteer at and performed at Eastern Pines. After his performance, they asked him if he would perform during an open house, which he gladly accepted. They announced him as: Precious, Extremely Entertaining, Ingenious, Remarkable, and Simply Astonishing! The open house was a huge success held under a tent with refreshments and balloons. Mackenzie performed his usual hour long of varied selections of music and had a game of Name that Tune. Mackenzie would play a piece of a song until someone guessed the name and would then pass out an autographed headshot to them. They ended with a join in patriotic songs and Mackenzie passed out flags to participants who wanted to stand beside the piano along side him. Mayor Lorenzo Langford presented Mackenzie with a Mayoral Citation from Atlantic City for his contributions to the elderly. A sincere beautiful letter was sent to Mackenzie from the administrator Mark Berkowitz and owners Mr. Paneth and Mr. Beinhorn from the center. It read, "Thank you so much for that performance last week that you held for the seniors of Atlantic City. The performance was great and everyone enjoyed all the oldies and patriotic songs you played. Perhaps more than the quality of the music was the thought that went into putting this event together. It is really admirable that a young boy as your self cares enough for the elderly population to give of his free time to reach out to them. This speaks volumes about your character and shows that you are a caring individual.