2008 Woodie Awards
Love of music drives Van Cliburn winner
Liz Davis
Issue date: 9/26/07 Section: News
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The Steinway piano sits center stage as the hall begins to fill with people in quiet anticipation.
Joyce Yang comes in, sees the video camera and cringes.
"I didn't know we were taping this," Yang said.
When she plays, she sways and closes her eyes completely absorbed in the moment and the melody she plays. At times her nose practically touches the keys. Others, she's leaning as far from the piano as the music dictates.
Yang puts so much force into her playing she throws her body into each note so that it appears she is bouncing on the bench.
Yang, who was awarded the silver medal in the Van Cliburn competition at age 19, returned to the Bass Performance Hall on Tuesday night for the first time since the competition.
Future pianists should play for the music, for themselves, not to impress, Yang said. They should play because the music moves them and they are inspired, she said.
"It's so important to keep music in our lives," Yang said. "To be part of that inspiration for other people, to feel something this strong, is amazing."
Tuesday morning before the concert at Bass Hall, Yang returned to TCU, gave a brief demonstration of her skills and participated in a question-and-answer session in the PepsiCo Recital Hall.
"It's a huge pressure to be back in Bass Hall by yourself," Yang said. "It's too big. The stage is too big. The hall is too big. It's just big."
The first piece she performed was Brahms' "Variations on a Theme by Paganini."
"Brahms Paganini variations are the most difficult pieces I try to play," she said, laughing. "It's so emotionally draining."
"I know I can play the challenging pieces," Yang said. "I just have to find it in me."
Luke Palan, a freshman criminal justice major, said during his survey of music class he studied the Van Cliburn competition and had to attend three concerts during the semester. Palan heard about Yang and decided to go to the concert.
Joyce Yang comes in, sees the video camera and cringes.
"I didn't know we were taping this," Yang said.
When she plays, she sways and closes her eyes completely absorbed in the moment and the melody she plays. At times her nose practically touches the keys. Others, she's leaning as far from the piano as the music dictates.
Yang puts so much force into her playing she throws her body into each note so that it appears she is bouncing on the bench.
Yang, who was awarded the silver medal in the Van Cliburn competition at age 19, returned to the Bass Performance Hall on Tuesday night for the first time since the competition.
Future pianists should play for the music, for themselves, not to impress, Yang said. They should play because the music moves them and they are inspired, she said.
"It's so important to keep music in our lives," Yang said. "To be part of that inspiration for other people, to feel something this strong, is amazing."
Tuesday morning before the concert at Bass Hall, Yang returned to TCU, gave a brief demonstration of her skills and participated in a question-and-answer session in the PepsiCo Recital Hall.
"It's a huge pressure to be back in Bass Hall by yourself," Yang said. "It's too big. The stage is too big. The hall is too big. It's just big."
The first piece she performed was Brahms' "Variations on a Theme by Paganini."
"Brahms Paganini variations are the most difficult pieces I try to play," she said, laughing. "It's so emotionally draining."
"I know I can play the challenging pieces," Yang said. "I just have to find it in me."
Luke Palan, a freshman criminal justice major, said during his survey of music class he studied the Van Cliburn competition and had to attend three concerts during the semester. Palan heard about Yang and decided to go to the concert.
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