By Nicole Towne, SMTD Publicity Intern
Sicong “Frank” Zhou, a senior piano major from Shanghai, China.
The night of the Concerto Competition finals, Sicong Zhou, an undergraduate music performance major, sits down at the piano positioned at center stage. It is seemingly within an arm’s reach from the first row. The black, glossy grand piano is propped open and reflects the golden glow of the stage lights. Most of the seats in Griffin Concert Hall are filled in front of him and the University Symphony Orchestra is at the ready behind him. A violinist and a clarinet duo performed before him, but now it’s his chance.
After an additional piece from the orchestra, the results are revealed. Zhou places first, followed by clarinetists Kate Gelsinger and Omar Calixto in second, and violinist Dmitri Ascarrunz in third.
“The winner was deserving of first place, but then, so was each performer,” said Maestro Wes Kenney. “We purposely bring in adjudicators that know at least one of the instruments well...They know the works and weigh who sold their piece the best to the listeners. I'm glad I'm not having to make that decision.”
Kenny appreciated the energy in the room and seeing the audience respond to the performances. “There is genuine interest and a camaraderie that comes with such an event,” Kenny said about the annual competition. “It's always a great evening.”
Zhou performed the second and third movements of Robert Schumann’s Piano Concerto, Op. 54, and has been playing piano since before he could pronounce “Schumann.” His mother, Fangchen Chen who also goes by Rose, is a pianist herself and was Zhou’s first piano teacher. He grew up in China and attended East China Normal University in Shanghai before transferring to CSU.
Zhou says he prizes each performance as an opportunity to train and test his musical abilities. “As a performance major, every performance for me is a precious experience,” Zhou said. At this performance, he was able to play for a large audience as well as have the experience of being accompanied by an orchestra.
Throughout the process Zhou was supported by his piano instructor, Professor Janet Landreth. Landreth has been working with Zhou for two years. She attended all three of his rehearsals with the orchestra to provide direction and support and the final performance.
“Sicong is a joy to teach,” Landreth said. “He is fluent in the English language, very respectful of his teachers, eager to learn, and works tirelessly to achieve his goals. At the same time, his own ideas and concepts about great performance are taking shape in an environment free from restriction.”
Zhou expects to graduate in Spring 2019 with a major in piano performance. His ideal job is working as a piano teacher at a university while still performing and composing.
As for now, his focus is on preparing for the Graduate String Trio recital later in April. “I’m an undergraduate student and they assigned me to the graduate trio,” Zhou said. “That’s why I have so much work to do.”
Beyond the excitement of getting first place and performing for a crowd, there are the words of encouragement from others that leave its own type of imprint. After his performance, Zhou’s mother didn’t fail to reaffirm his success.
“She feels really happy and gave me a lot of encouragement,” Zhou said. “She aid I’m born to do this, so don’t doubt yourself, just go.”