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A Passion for Piano Unites Bachauer Competition Winners By JANE CHO
What brings promising young pianists to New York from the other side of the world? Esther Jung-A Park and Xun Wang, the winners of this year's Gina Bachauer International Piano Competition, have very different backgrounds and personalities, but they were both drawn to Juilliard to share their passion for the piano. Recently I had an opportunity to interview each of them, gaining an appreciation of their journeys as brilliant musicians and human beings.
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| Bachauer winners Xun Wang and Esther Jung-A Park (Photo by Peter Schaaf) |
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Esther Jung-A Park, who is a student of Yoheved Kaplinsky, has impressive credentials as a soloist and chamber musician. In addition to this year's Gina Bachauer Piano Competition at Juilliard, she won first prize at the 53rd Wideman Competition, 2001 Eastman International Competition, Johanna Hodges Competition, and 52nd Kosciusko International Piano Competition, performing on New York's WQXR radio station as a result. She has appeared as a soloist with orchestras and in recitals across the United States, Russia, Israel, and her native Korea.This summer has been particularly busy for Esther. Besides preparing for the upcoming Bachauer Competition Winners Concert on September 22, she is bringing her piano quartet (consisting of colleagues from Juilliard) to Korea for a concert tour in major cities, including Seoul, Pusan, and Dea-jun. These concerts will be broadcast on Korean national TV.Inspired by her mother, who was an opera singer, Esther embarked on the journey of piano when she was 4. Since her mother was a musician (and also Esther's first piano teacher), it was only natural for Esther to fall in love with the instrument. "What else is there to do besides piano, anyway?" she says with a laugh.Esther was only 9 years old when she came to the United States from Korea by herself to audition for Juilliard's Pre-College Division. She recalls that, at the time, she didn't speak a word of English. Now, at 19, she is finishing her combined bachelor's and master's degrees at the School where she has spent her last decade.Esther has given countless concerts so far, but each one has been a unique experience. She remembers a particular recital in Florida where the lights went off all of sudden during the concert. "It was so dark, I didn't know what to do. But I kept on playing," she recalls. The concert went on successfully with emergency candlelight, and the audience went wild at the end.With her career solid as a young pianist, I asked, would she undertake further studies at Juilliard? Her answer was rather surprising: "I'm quite interested in medicine. I want to be a heart surgeon." Esther continued: "I love people, and I'm so thankful that I have a lot of people who influenced me in so many positive ways." (Among those influences, she includes her teacher, pastors from her church, and most of all, God.) Esther's favorite pianists? She loves Horowitz, Argerich, and Lupu. Her future as a pianist seems bright and promising—and if she changes careers down the line, no doubt she will shine as a doctor as well.
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Gina Bachauer International Piano Competition Winners Concert
Paul Hall
Wednesday, Sept. 22, 9 p.m.
Free event; no tickets required.
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Xun Wang has also won top honors in competitions, including first prize in the Xin Hai National Competition, Stravinsky International Competition, and Senigalia International Piano Competition, as well as second prize in the Grace Welsh International Piano Competition. Wang has given solo recitals in cities in the U.S., Spain, Italy, France, Singapore, Malaysia, and China. He has appeared as a soloist with the Beijing Philharmonic, Tenerife Symphony, Chinese National Orchestra, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, and Festival Orchestra from Santa Barbara. A student of Jerome Lowenthal, Wang now is a two-time winner of the Gina Bachauer Piano Competition at Juilliard.Xun came to the states from China when he was 17, and the world was not exactly roses and champagne for this young pianist. In fact, he stopped playing piano completely for a year and attended the University of Cincinnati, studying to become a computer expert. In order to support himself, he worked several jobs, some of which didn't even pay the minimum wage. "I was in a different mindset in Cincinnati, and was so far away from the piano. I didn't even think about music, because I was so busy trying to make ends meet," he recalls. After a year's sabbatical from music, Xun finally realized how much he loved piano, and he auditioned at Juilliard the following year.Xun's love of music began with his father, an amateur violinist. Xun's father entered the Central Music Conservatory in China, hoping to become a professional performer, but his dream was curtailed by the Cultural Revolution in 1970. Xun, now 25, is realizing his and his father's dream as a professional performer. He frequently visits China to give concerts. Xun remembers a particular performance in China: "I was playing the Liszt Piano Concerto No. 1 and another Chinese concerto called Yellow River. I remember some people from the audience were crying because they were so moved by these concertos. It meant a lot to me that people were so touched by my performance."Besides his love of music, Xun is a great fan of sports—badminton in particular. His eyes were sparkling when he talked about a recent badminton tournament. He was even carrying a racket to our interview, as he was on his way to badminton practice! But he plans to take some time off from the sport to rest his arms before the Bachauer concert in September. Another passion is photography; Xun frequently picks up his camera and heads to Central Park or the New York Botanical Garden, walking around the city to capture images.It seems that 24 hours are barely enough in a day for these multitalented young pianists. I can't wait to hear the Bachauer Competition Winners Concert this year!Jane Cho, who is assistant director of career development, graduated from Juilliard with a B.M. in piano in 1999.
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