Young pianist wows at prestigious venues

Still just 27 years old, Beijing-born pianist Tian Jiaxin is already recognized as one of the most promising classical musicians in the United States.

Having already performed solo at New York's famed Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, twice, Carnegie Hall and China's National Center for the Performing Arts in Beijing, Tian says one of the secrets of her success has been the combination of her Western and Chinese education - perfect for students who specialize in the arts.

Born into a family of professional musicians, she began playing the piano at the age of 3 and gradually her musical talent has seen her rise to increasing fame.

In February, she performed for the second time at the Lincoln Center, delivering a performance described as the epitome of East meets West: Mozart and Chopin were placed alongside Chinese elements, including three preludes by Chinese composer Zhang Shuai.

She started her studies at Shenyang Conservatory of Music in China before moving to the Manhattan School of Music, a school founded in 1917 that is now home to 900 students from over 40 countries.

Tian says her two schools, in two countries, each offered something different. She says Chinese music institutions focus on techniques, while in the US, students work to understand the cultural background of pieces, to better interpret and perform their music.

The four years at the Manhattan School of Music, she says, opened her mind and underlined her passion and belief in music.

"I was encouraged and felt more confident in developing my own style and ideas, instead of following those of my professors."

Her master classes at the Manhattan school meant she came into regular contact with leading figures from the industry, including Philippe Entremont, the multiple prize-winning French classical pianist and conductor

Her professor, the American pianist Jeffrey Cohen, who continues to draw international acclaim for his own interpretations, and the administration at the school "took really good care of me and made me feel at home".

During her four years at the school, she noticed an increasing number of Chinese students arriving to study, and Tian thinks more talented Chinese artists are now emerging from US art schools.

"I want to share my own experiences with students, hopefully inspire them to choose the right path, and give them the kind of positivity that my schools gave me."

For China Daily

(China Daily European Weekly 08/08/2014 page8)