Keep company with music,

Listen to the sound of classics,

Appreciate the music of passion and romance,

And play the notes that echo in your heart!

On October 17, 2019, the Fall Student Recital of Kaiwen Academy was held in the auditorium. Eight piano players brought the audience onto a roaming trip in the world of classic music with Mozart serenade, Chopin waltz, Debussy prelude and Brahms Hungarian dance… The beauty in art, shaping of soul and being boundary free in time and space impressed everyone in the audience.

Teacher Angelika Li in charge of the recital said that with hard exercise, the students were making progress fast. She mentioned: “In a similar recital at the end of last semester, performing students accumulated certain stage experience. They performed in this recital with the experience and the performance was noticeably refined. In both solos and duets, the students were increasingly matured in style. Hope they will show their talent on international stages one day!”

The students performing in the recital had a lot to share with everyone and let’s hear them out!

“We two have been on good teamwork.”

IneKleine Nachtmusik KV 525 (W. A. Mozart)

Played by: Elaine Zhang & Martina Liu (Grade 7)

Martina and I have been on good teamwork and we are good friends since Grade 4 at Kaiwen. In piano classes, we always practiced together and thus the teacher suggested us trying in duet. In the recital of the last semester, we also performed in duet. Though I started early in playing the piano, I suspended for a while midway and resumed piano playing because of the musical atmosphere around me. The atmosphere promoted me to study further in the field of art. Now, I’m doing better in time management and have made proper arrangement with piano, study and rest. So, I don’t find piano playing boring any more, but find my interest instead.

(Elaine Zhang)

Actually, when we just got on the stage, I was a little nervous, but as my friend Elaine and I were cooperating well, I was no longer nervous gradually. In my daily practice, every piece of music that I managed to play well would give me a sense of achievement and also a driving force for keeping playing.

(Martina Liu)

“Playing the piano becomes a habit of mine.”

Onata KV331 AllaTurca (W. A. Mozart)

Played by: Ashley Zhuang (Grade 6)

I actively participated in every school recital and I felt my performance was increasingly steadier. The audience this time was much larger than the last time and when getting on and off the stage, I heard my friends cheering and applauding. This year, I also travelled to the United States for a piano contest. I was the youngest contestant in the age 12-16 group, but I was not afraid at all and played a piece by Chopin. Now, I have developed the habit of playing the piano every day; otherwise, it feels like something is missing.

“The most important thing is a proper state of mind.”

Sonata in C KV19d (W. A. Mozart)

Played by: Hannah Liu (Grade 8) & Leon Gao (Grade 7)

May former duet partner went abroad shortly before the recital and Leon became my new partner. He managed to play the piece fluently in a short period of time, and then we started to practice duet in the Art Center in lunch breaks. In the practice, we addressed problems that arose, such as conflicting hands, and made constant progress. Despite the limited time for preparation, we have been cooperating well from practice to performance! I like playing the piano and for me, the most important thing in the practice is to adjust my state of mind and practice in a stable mood.

(Hannah Liu)

“Richness of music makes me love piano even more.”

Grande valse brillante Op. 18 (F. Chopin)

Played by: Leon Gao (Grade 7)

I like playing the piano. I chose Chopin for my solo this time, as he was one of my favorite composers, but I also like romantic music composers such as Johannes Brahms and Franz Liszt. I pay more attention to fundamental exercise and also play pieces of other composers. By learning about the social background of the pieces and individual history of the composers, I feel deeper with the pieces and play them out more accurately. In the repeated exercise, I find my interest in piano and the richness of music makes me love piano even more. Looking ahead, I will apply for specialized musical schools overseas and I will work hard towards this goal!

“My knacks in practicing piano are…”

Nocturne Op. 9 No. 1 (F. Chopin)

Played by: David Wu (Grade 8)

As a boarder, it’s quite convenient for me to practice piano at Art Center. In piano classes at school, the teacher would help me with music theory and listening and enable me to identify whichever note is played wrong for correction. My knacks in practicing piano are reading music and listening to performance by world renowned pianists more. Playing the piano can make one more patient and my own personality also keeps me playing patiently. Besides school recitals, I also performed Beethoven’s pieces for parents and students of other schools on open days. By performing in different occasions, I get to accumulate experience and thus am happy to perform.

“I talk about music with my family often.”

Preludes Voiles (A. C. Debussy)

Played by: Amy Dang (Grade 9)

I played in the recital of last semester, but was still a little nervous this time. Before the performance, my classmates gave me a hand muff to warm up hands. After the playing started, I soon came into my own. I chose a Debussy prelude this time, which was prepared for the level-8 qualification exam, and I’m very happy to play it smoothly. I like playing the piano and often practice and discuss it with my family at home. In the practice, I would pay close attention to rhythm, rather than simply play fast, and exercise step by step until I can play the entire piece fluently. This is how I play the piano.

“Our first-time cooperation as teacher and student went well.”

Hungarian Dance No. 5 (J. Brahms)

Played by: Leon Gao (Grade 7) & Angelika Li

Leon and I co-played in the piano class and he also took my piano EP enrichment course electively. He really likes playing the piano, is a quick learner and can start playing soon after getting his hands on a new piece. In the recital this time, though it was our first time to cooperate, it went really well and the performance was nice. I believe that with more practice, we can play together even better!

(Angelika Li, music teacher)

Beautiful notes lingered above the keys and the players brought the classic musical pieces into life, rigorous yet refined, and solemn yet soft. The recital showed the artistic fineness of Kaiwen students and improved their capacity in performing independently. We’re convinced that in the company of music, the students will press ahead steadily with no fear of hardships towards a promising future!