Frisson Gagny International Piano Competition in France 2019
We are thrilled for Tina Algeri and Nicole Li to have won the top prizes at
the Gagny International Piano Competition in France. All credit must go to Stephanie Huang and Ivy Chan who have taught these girls really well at the start of the journey with the piano. Stephanie was teaching Tina and Ivy had lessons with both Tina and Nicole before coming to me. Also we need to thank the parents for all their wonderful efforts and willing to sacrifice taking long flights, financially supporting these young talents and going all the way to have a 20 or more hour flight from Perth to France and willing to explore the dangers of meeting up with Yellow Vests party!
By the way, Nicole Li also won the special Bach prize and the Best Musical performance prize.
We all had a great time. It was so wonderful to see a radical change in Ren Jing Yi’s performance after having two years’ online lessons with me and intense lessons in China when I am there, Jing Yi has improved tremendously. She performed with grace and lots of expression and colours. Jing Yi came in second prize.
Jing Quan is also another up and coming rising star at this competition, showing so much confidence and capability plus technical assurance and panache with his deliverance of the music. Claiming first prize at his first competition abroad is no small feat, just lost to Nicole for the overall top prize but still awarded first prize. It was also wonderful to see Fen, the mum of Jing Quan bringing the baby under one year old, (youngest of the family of six children) to fly all the way from Perth to France for this competition. If there is a will there is a way! Thank God for such mum with determination and willing to travel sleepless nights for the sake of bringing her son to perform at the competition. So the Chong family was represented by Fen, Jing Quan and the supportive baby, Jing Yao.
16 year old Shuan Hern Lee came in first prize in the adults under 28 age group section claiming the Grand Prix prize plus the Best Musical Performance prize and with a return solo piano recital arranged for 4th of February 2020. Because of the special prize, the recordings of his performances will go on iTunes and other commercial media for public to purchase.
The entire contingent got to meet the Mayor of Gagny and thoroughly enjoyed themselves, and got to make new friends and did quite a fair bit of sight-seeing before the burning of Notre Dame.
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