Posted on: Friday, March 18, 2005

MUSIC REVIEW
Young musicians perform with skill, grace

Riana Anthony		Maile Cha		Tiffany Cheung		Monika Haar
Melody Rose Lindsay		T.J. Tario		Ryan Tsukamoto		Eric Wu

By Ruth Bingham
Special to The Advertiser

Some musicians spend years honing their skills and never reach a pinnacle quite as high as performing with the Honolulu Symphony Orchestra.

Others find success early, which became apparent last Saturday when eight Honolulu students, ages 10 to 17, performed with the orchestra at the Blaisdell Concert Hall. They earned the honor by winning the Concerto Competition, and their performances were nearly flawless.

And while this may lead you to believe all of them are merely taking another step in their gifted musical lives, some have different career goals.

Melody Rose Lindsay, a 13-year-old harpist from Iolani School, talks about becoming an astronomer to search for alien life.

Ten-year-old T.J. Tario, a pianist from Hanahau'oli School who was the youngest performer, said he wants to be a brain surgeon. The oldest student, Ryan Tsukamoto, a 17-year-old violinist from Iolani who closed the concert, is planning to double major in physics and computer science and to keep his music "as a hobby."

These kids do not dream small, perhaps a major reason they achieve so much.

Pianist Maile Cha, a home-schooled 14-year-old, opened the concert with the first movement of Mozart's Concerto No. 13. A student of Ellen Masaki, Cha confided that she practices three hours a day.

Lindsay, a student of the Honolulu Symphony's Constance Uejio, captivated the audience with Handel's entire Concerto in B-flat Major. Lindsay revealed especially nice voicing in the first movement, a strong sense of phrasing in the second and impressive virtuosity in the third.

For Tario, this was the second time he has placed among the concerto winners. He performed the third movement of Mozart's Concerto No. 21 because "He's my idol." Tario even pointed out that Mozart played this concerto on this same date, March 12, back in 1785.

There do seem to be certain similarities between the two: maestra Joan Landry said that when she told him about a few last-minute changes, his response was simply, "OK — I got it," and he wasn't even holding his music. Another student of Masaki, Tario played with a light touch and showed himself to be exceptionally fleet of fingers.

Pianist Eric Wu, a 14-year-old from Punahou School and a student of University of Hawai'i professor Thomas Yee, presented the first movement of Rachmaninoff's Concerto No. 1, a demanding work even for professionals. Wu delivered a truly remarkable performance, matching Rachmaninoff's rapidly changing moods note for note. His large hands made octaves look like sixths and moved with lightning speed. Capable of power yet able to caress a melody so it sang, Wu mesmerized the audience.

After intermission, pianist Monika Haar from La Pietra School performed the first movement of Mozart's Concerto No. 23. A 16-year-old student of University of Hawai'i emeritus professor Peter Coraggio, Haar plans to pursue music as a career, and she demonstrated that she has the speed and lightness of touch necessary for playing Mozart.

Cellist Riana Anthony of Kaimuki Middle School, 12 years old and playing cello for only three years, presented the first movement of Haydn's Concerto in C. A student of Lifen Anthony, she exhibited a warm, full tone, a beautiful shaping of phrases, and a good feel for the music, which blossomed in an expressive cadenza.

Pianist Tiffany Cheung, an Iolani School student and the third winner studying with Masaki, played a piece she has been working on for only four months, the first movement of Mozart's Concerto No. 15. Cheung revealed an intuitive grasp of musical meaning, which gave her playing a nice feel and made her music speak.

Tsukamoto then closed, presenting the first movement of Paganini's Concerto No. 1. Early in the piece, an exceptionally loud pizzicato signaled a broken string, and Tsukamoto was forced to stop to change violins with his teacher, concertmaster Ignace "Iggy" Jang, who fortunately was seated right behind him. Once Tsukamoto settled into the unfamiliar instrument, he played even better than before, demonstrating remarkably flexible technique as he built toward a thrilling climax in the cadenza, his fingers leaping all over the violin.

Overall, it was an impressive concert. Concertos are, of course, designed to be impressive, but they somehow become more so when performed by such young artists. The students' accomplishments, talent, grace and self-discipline amazed everyone, but what was most notable was how much they seemed to enjoy their music.

When these students perform, they not only represent our hope for the future, they remind us of what can be accomplished.