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| Orchestra >> Articles | ||
As the youngest winner of this year’s Concerto competition, freshman Michael Suo proved to the judges that Lexington High School’s newcomers were not to be undermined. Inspired at an early age by his brother to play piano, Michael began learning at the tender age of four and practiced throughout his elementary and middle school years to reach the level of accomplishment that he has attained today. Like other young children, the five-year-old Michael “didn’t really like practicing” initially. Eventually though, he was able to appreciate the instrument and the act of sitting alone with a piano every day. From there, ten-year-old Michael never looked back, and made sure that his two hours of practice did not interfere with his daily schoolwork. After hearing of the Concerto Competition two months before the event, Michael, with the aid of his teacher, chose to learn the Grieg Concerto because of its simplicity, high level of musicality, and technical difficulty. I asked Michael if he felt intimidated competing with so many talented upperclassmen. Knowing that anxiety would force the pianist to make costly errors, Michael replied that he was able to dispel the nervous thoughts with astonishing ease. In fact, Michael spun the age factor to his own advantage: he had three more years to compete if he was not one of this year’s victors.
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