From left to right: Kevin Meara, Kristopher Villaruel, Keli-Genevieve Purugganan, LeMei Mao, Clara Choi, Nicholas Rodriguez, Sebastian Rodriguez.
Reminder Publishing submitted photo
WEST SPRINGFIELD — Seven young performers recently had the chance to perform the works of esteemed composers at the historic Carnegie Hall concert venue in New York City on Jan. 17.
Under the instruction of Ellen Buoniconti from The Music Cellar in West Springfield, Longmeadow students Clara Choi, Sebastian Rodriguez, Nicholas Rodriguez and LeMei Mao, West Springfield students Kristopher Villaruel and Keli-Genevieve Purugganan and Holyoke’s Kevin Meara performed solo piano pieces at Carnegie Hall.
The musicians competed in the Crescendo International Music Competition and earned high scores in the first round, qualifying them for the opportunity to perform at Carnegie Hall. The students competed against musicians from the United States, along with Australia, Germany, Mongolia, China, Austria, Argentina, Korea, Canada, Singapore, Japan, Israel, Turkey, France, England, Brazil and Italy.
The Crescendo International Music Competition website states, “our competitions allow performers to maximize their potential, and serve as a professional setting for aspiring musicians to showcase their talents at prestigious concert halls worldwide. Performers are also presented with an invaluable opportunity to interact with other musicians and learn essential life lessons such as having the confidence to get back up after stumbling.”
Choi and Mao scored first place, earning their opportunity to join the International Student Music Exchange Program this summer in China, Italy, Germany and Switzerland.
Villaruel started piano at 7 years old and played “Golliwog’s Cakewalk” by Claude Debussy. He said he has an electric piano at home with songs built into it and thought it would be cool to play it at Carnegie Hall. Meara started four years ago and played Edvard Grieg’s “Notturno” because of its dreamy sound.
Sebastian, who played Carnegie Hall last year in the same competition, started piano when he was 8, but said he started taking it seriously about three years ago. He played Sergei Rachmaninoff’s “Prelude in C Sharp Minor.”
“I chose it because two years ago at Carnegie Hall, I heard someone else play it and I just wanted to play that song,” Sebastian said.
Nicholas started taking the piano seriously three years ago as well. He performed Aram Khachaturian’s “Sonatina,” mostly because he liked how fast it was.
Purugganan began at 7 years old after seeing videos of people playing the piano. She played “Fountain in the Rain” by William Gillock. She said it just “went with the flow” and that she liked playing those different pieces.
Mao played “Nocturne in C Sharp Minor” by Frédéric Chopin because of its pretty sound. She began piano around seven years ago because her sister played, much like the reason Choi started, who played Franz Liszt’s “Un Sospiro.”
“I just wanted to follow my sister,” Choi said. “I’m very competitive so I wanted to be better than her, which wouldn’t work because she’s like 10 years older than me … I’ve grown into it, and I think now it’s more about how I play and more about myself and trying to play in the key of me.”
Leading up to performing, most of the students expected the hall to be a lot bigger, even though they performed in front of about 500 people. The majority said they were nervous leading up to it, but found the event pretty fun and exciting to actually play.
Since it was his second time at the event, Sebastian said he wasn’t as nervous and it was good to meet people from different countries. Nicholas said it was nerve-racking at first, but it all went away when he began playing because of how much he practiced.
Playing in a concert hall does differ exponentially from playing in a practice room and the students performed on a 9-foot grand piano, the largest piano class designed for maximum tone and extended sustain. Mao said her piano at home is “crusty and old” and that the notes were so easy to play.
Piano has also made an impact on the students’ lives, whether it be something to do when they’re bored or as a way to express themselves. Some said that it has also helped them learn consistency and memorization, which helps them with their schoolwork. While Mao was the only one who said she could see it being a lifelong career, piano will indefinitely have a place in their lives.
