Concert Diaries: A Week to Remember

A reflection on my busy week of performing and behind-the-scenes of my concerts.

7/25/20242 min read

The past week consisted of three performances in three consecutive days, which meant sleepless nights, a lot of fun, and many new memories.

The first two performances were in the acoustically stunning Harris Concert Hall. I loved playing in Harris - the lighting and the positioning of the piano was perfectly set so the performer couldn’t see the audience at all and therefore felt extremely intimate. The first performance on Tuesday was solo, and the next day was chamber music which was one of the best days I’ve had in Aspen so far.

My trio and I made a day out of it - we got breakfast from Paradise Bakery before our dress rehearsal and had the best time onstage and backstage. It makes a real difference when one gets to make music with friends.

The day after was the big Piano Palooza day with eight Steinways cozied together in the Klein Music Tent. It was such a rare sight and the concert was great fun - the audience seemed to love it.

The concert was a curated programme of pieces for all of us (eight pianos, sixteen pianists, thirty-two hands) and smaller ensembles such as two pianos, four pianists. I was fortunate to share a piano with my teacher here in Aspen - Anton Nel, whom I am grateful to for giving me this once-in-a-lifetime experience. I highly doubt I will get another chance to play (or see) a concert with eight pianos and sixteen pianists!

The day of the concert was actually our first time playing on eight grand pianos. Before that, we were just rehearsing on eight upright pianos (as seen in the picture above).

It was also so heartwarming to see my students at the concert. I’ve been teaching a few local kids as part of the school’s P.A.L.S. program and they were blown away by how massive the concert grand pianos were.

This past week has been the busiest week at Aspen so far, but also the most fulfilling and definitely one to remember.

Since the concerts, I’ve been on many stunning hikes - I shall leave that for the next newsletter because there is too much to say! Thank you for reading and I hope you are having a lovely day wherever you are :)

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