San Marino Music Center is extremely proud of it’s piano student, Lavinia A. for earning a 3rd place finish in two separate competitions this summer! On July 19th, Lavinia participated in the Southwestern Youth Music Festival at the Bob Cole Conservatory of Music. Then on July 25th, she participated in the Satori Summer Music Festival which took place at Azusa Pacific University. Lavinia takes lessons from SMMC instructor Ms. Grace Joung. Last year, Ms. Grace encouraged and prepared Lavinia for the Satori competition where she earned a 2nd place finish. This year, Ms. Grace challenged Lavinia to participate in 2 competitions. The work to get ready started months ago, back in December. The fruits of those labors bore the results in two trophies this summer!
The Big Stage
In the competition, Lavinia performed Frederic Chopin’s Waltz in E minor (Posthumous) and her second piece was Sonate (Allegro) by W. A. Mozart. For the SYMF event, the competition winners were invited to perform their pieces for the general public in their recital hall. As you can tell from the video, Lavinia is in full control of the pieces in her performance. She displays great phrasing, dynamics and development of themes and ideas. Lavinia’s performance was actually headed for a second or even first place finish. But during the second piece of the competition while playing the Mozart Sonate, she had a memory lapse that cause her to stop all together. Even having experienced this obstacle, Lavinia was able to gather herself, finish strong and place 3rd amongst her peers.
At the Satori competition, Lavinia went up against a larger group of competitors who were all very deserving. Each piano student came prepared and ready to perform. Although feeling quite nervous, Lavinia gathered her courage to deliver a great performance. Good enough to earn her another 3rd place finish!
In Her Own Words
This is the first time one of SMMC’s students earned trophies at two separate competitions. We sent Ms. Lavinia a series of questions to find out what her experience was like. Here is what she had to share:
1. What was the experience like for you at each competition? Did you enjoy one more than the other?
The experience was quite nerve-racking! At SYMF, it was the first time I’ve ever experienced forgetting my piece in the middle of a performance. In both competitions, I felt extremely worried and nervous about my performance. I didn’t prefer one competition more than the other. Luckily, I had my family members and family friends there to support me.
2. How did you feel when you first stepped into the room where you would be performing?
At both competitions, when I stepped into the room where I would be performing, I felt very nervous and worried. I felt this way because I wanted to do my best and I didn’t want to forget my piece or make big mistakes.
3. What do you recall as being most memorable about participating in the competition?
I think the most memorable thing was when I forgot my piece in the middle of my performance. That has never happened to me before. In addition, it was quite memorable when I found I still placed even though I forgot my piece during my performance. I guess the judges felt the rest of my performance was still noteworthy of the award!
4. If anything, what did you do differently in preparing for the competition that helped you earn a trophy? Did you practice differently or practice more or did you just go about your usual routine?
When preparing for the competition, I stuck to my usual routine. I followed my teacher’s notes on a weekly basis and just tried to improve.
5. Now that you’ve had this experience, what do you think you learned about yourself from participating in the competition?
I think I have learned that I am capable of performing under pressure and doing difficult things.
6. How does this achievement stack up to any other trophies, certificates or awards you’ve won?
This achievement doesn’t stand out as much. This year, I placed lower than I did at last year’s piano competition. But that encourages me to do even better next year!
Lavinia’s SYMF Performance Video
After competing with her cohorts and earning a trophy, Lavinia took to the stage to share her musical skills amongst her peers who also won. Please enjoy this video clip of Lavinia’s performance.
All of us at SMMC are extremely proud of Lavinia for her efforts in preparing for these two competitions. We are also very proud of Ms. Grace who had another SMMC student place 2nd in a competition in June! We could not be happier to see the hard work pay off for these two and we can’t wait to see what musical achievements are in store for this young talent! Cheers to you Lavinia!