I recap the announced Finals list and discuss the ingredients that make these youngsters extraordinary players.

I've been receiving e-mail updates from the Minnesota E-Piano Junior Competition where candidates from all over the world began the audition process by sending playing examples by way of a Yamaha Disklavier--a stringless piano, equipped with all the fancy computer/MIDI based options and technology.

Once a large group of contenders was whittled down to size, these youngsters were invited to Minnesota to play a real Yamaha grand piano as their performances were "streamed live" through the Semi-final round.

Today, I received the list of Finalists, and decided to cross check You Tube performances to get an idea of where it's at these days with the "juniors." Only recently, I was surprised to learn that a 17-year-old Korean pianist had won the Bronze Medal (third prize) in the world-renowned Tchaikovsky Competition.

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This is just an opinion, but having followed past E-driven competitions from Minnesota, I've noticed that <em>winners</em> have had chops, not necessarily cultivating the singing tone with sensitivity and finesse. It will be interesting to see who prevails this time around.

For some unexplained reason, I was drawn to the name Annie Zhou, age 13, (Finalist, Canada) and was rewarded by her soulful performance of Chopin's Nocturne in Db. (She was 11 at the time of this performance) I noticed beautiful phrasing, a supple wrist, relaxed arms, floating and flowing lines. She's representing Canada and her BIO is as follows:

Instructors: Marietta Orlov (Critical to a student's pianistic development)

"Annie Zhou has distinguished herself with consecutive first prizes at the National Finals of the Canadian Music Competitions for three years. At the age of eleven, she was a top winner at the Third Canadian Chopin Piano Competition (2010), and a gold medalist at the AADGT International Young Musicians Competition (2010). Annie made her orchestral debut when she was eight, and has performed at Carnegie Hall in New York; in Assisi and Bevagna, Italy; and on national radios in Canada. In addition to her love for music, Annie enjoys reading, drawing, skating, and skiing."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCcvqQmptEc

As many might ask, where does this fluid playing come from? Was this child born with an extraordinary affinity for the piano? Is she a "prodigy" who <em>naturally</em> dances over the keys, producing beautifully sculpted phrases and a panoply of dynamics. The answer is that Annie Zhou, like others in this group of very expressive "junior" age players was "taught" about tone production, relaxation, and attentive listening from the start at a very young age. And the TEACHER factored into the equation to a very large extent. These students were well-trained by an instructor or instructors attuned to tone and technique, not one or the other. They had sufficient knowledge and enlightenment to communicate what these students needed to further their growth and development.

RELATED:
<a target="_blank" href="http://arioso7.wordpress.com/2011/07/06/about-the-physical-side-of-playing-what-we-need-to-teach-at-all-levels-videos/"> http://arioso7.wordpress.com/2011/07/06/about-the-physical-side-of-playing-what-we-need-to-teach-at-all-levels-videos/</a>

Not a big mystery, but still needing further clarification. If a child is particularly sensitive to music and has the gift of coordination, and if the "exposure" begins at young age, with the right teacher, and there is consistent practicing of a thoughtful nature, then conditions are ripe for extraordinary results. (Add in positively supportive parents) It should be noted that many of these youngsters practice diligently and for substantial periods. They are usually tenacious and focused intently on playing and performing.

This is not to say, that they will ascend the stage someday with careers in the limelight. There are so many pianists out there with these well-developed skills and talents that the universe is flooded. (Ask the head of the Piano Department at the Juilliard School, and the same response will be echoed over and again)

Nonetheless, listening to these "Juniors" produce beautiful music for so many to enjoy even in the artificial competition environment, is a wondrous experience. Hopefully, their teachers will tell them that this is just another opportunity to share great and inspiring music with an appreciative world-wide audience, regardless of the outcome. (First prize or not)

In the last analysis, the joy of making music is its own reward.

E-Piano Junior Competition
<a target="_blank" href="http://www.piano-e-competition.com/ecompetition/videostreaming_junior.asp">FINALISTS Announced! </a>

You can watch this last round, "live" tomorrow, Friday, July 8 at 12 p.m.. Minnesota is on Central Daylight Time

Streaming <a target="_blank" href="http://www.piano-e-competition.com/ecompetition/videostreaming_junior.asp">Link: http://www.piano-e-competition.com/ecompetition/videostreaming_junior.asp</a>

e-Piano Junior Gala Concert
Sundin Music Hall, Hamline University - After SEMI-FINAL performances, five finalists have been selected to perform with the Minnesota Orchestra. Each finalist will play a first movement of a concerto. Finals will begin at 12:00 noon (CDT). Finalists will perform first movements of concertos. This year the Finals will feature works by Chopin and Saint Saens. This year's concerto performances are free and open to the public.

Order of Performances - FINALS
FRIDAY, July 8, 2011, 12:00pm

*Aristo Sham, Chopin Concerto No. 1 (you tubes without embed sharing)

Misora Ozaki, Saint-Saens Concerto No. 2 (couldn't find any you tube samples)

Su Yeon Kim, Chopin Concerto No. 1 (no you tubes available)
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*Annie Zhou, Chopin Concerto No. 2</strong> (many you tube videos posted)

Tristan Teo, Chopin Concerto No. 1 (You Tube presence, but I didn't find his approach to be as fluid as that of Zhou and Sham)
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Next up: Aristo Sham, now 15 years old--Hong Kong. (Lots of flair and personality revealed in this performance that was recorded when he was 13) Another Lang Lang in the making? If he plays this well in Minnesota, he may take the PRIZE, though I haven't heard two of the remaining contestants. (No posted You Tubes)

<a target="_blank" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TOnjZseIvSI&amp;feature=relmfu">
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TOnjZseIvSI&amp;feature=relmfu </a>

EMBED sharing disabled but you can watch by clicking the link.

BIO:
Instructors: Colin Stone
About Aristo:
Aristo Sham began playing the piano when he was <em>three years old.</em> He studied for many years with Professor Eleanor Wong in his home city, Hong Kong. Now 15 years old, he studies with Professor Colin Stone at Harrow School in the United Kingdom. Two of Aristo’s early awards were First Prize at the 10th Ettlingen International Piano Competition for Young Pianists in Germany, and a Grand Championship at the Hong Kong Young Musician of the Year competition, both in 2006. In 2009 and 2010, Aristo presented recitals in the series “Prodigies and Masters of Tomorrow” at the Miami International Piano Festival in the US. Featured in a BBC documentary, “The Greatest Prodigies in the World”, Aristo has performed with orchestras around the world.