Sean Alan Lomax (born 1960)
is an American professional
whistler. A Three-time winner at the International Whistlers Convention, Lomax quit his day job in 2005 to tour in
Cirque du Soleil's ''
Corteo''.
Life and career
Lomax grew up in
Braddock Braddock may refer to:
Places England, United Kingdom
* Braddock, Cornwall
** Battle of Braddock Down, 1643
Canada
* Braddock, Saskatchewan
* Braddock Lake, Saskatchewan; a reservoir
United States
* Braddock, New Jersey
* Braddock, North Dako ...
, a suburb of
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and at age 18 joined the
United States Navy submarine service.
Possessing a whistling range of three octaves, Lomax says he was encouraged to attend the annual International Whistlers Convention in
Louisburg, North Carolina, and first did in 1985. That year, he performed
Beethoven's Fifth Symphony and
Gershwin's ''
Rhapsody in Blue'' but was disqualified for running overtime. He has returned to the competition many times, becoming the International Whistling Grand Champion in 1988 and 1992 and Twenty years later the third time 2012. Named Entertainer of the Year in 2009.
In 1990, while stationed for the Navy in
San Diego, California, Lomax traveled to Louisburg and placed second in character as the "whistling sailor" with ''
The Barber of Seville'' and "
The Theme from ''Superman''". After his 1988 win, he appeared on ''
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson''; in 1992, he appeared on ''
Late Night with David Letterman
''Late Night with David Letterman'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on NBC, the first iteration of the ''Late Night'' franchise. It premiered on February 1, 1982, and was produced by Letterman's production company ...
'' and whistled the Fifth Symphony's first movement, the piece Lomax whistled to win the International Whistlers Convention that year.
''Corteo''
In 2000, he was described as "the strangest part of
program" who "wowed the audience with his true and occasionally adventurous renditions of old standards." In 2004, Lomax released the
jazz holiday album ''Whistling This Christmas''. Also that year, Lomax made several television appearances and auditioned in
Las Vegas for Cirque du Soleil. In April 2005, ''
Corteo'' launched with Lomax in a leading role, so he left his job as a network technician to whistle full-time.
In ''Corteo'', Lomax played circus ringmaster Mr. Loyal, performing upwards of 3,000 shows. In a review for the ''
Houston Chronicle'', Molly Glentzer wrote, "ultimately, it's the least likeable character of all—Mr. Loyal, the angry ringmaster—who comes across as the most poignant, when he whistles a farewell to Mauro. Sean Lomax whistles so virtuosically he seems part bird, part angel and part seering (sic) violin." A second incarnation of ''Corteo'', again featuring Lomax, started in 2018.
References
External links
List of rolesfrom
SAG-AFTRA
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lomax, Sean
Living people
Whistlers
Musicians from Pittsburgh
African-American musicians
United States Navy sailors
Year of birth uncertain
21st-century African-American people
African-American United States Navy personnel
Year of birth missing (living people)