Talented teen to showcase his skills
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Vincent Yu
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By Lori O'Brien
Correspondent
SPRINGFIELD The works of Liszt, Ravel, Mozart and Chopin are just a sampling of what awaits concertgoers as pianist Vincent Yu, 14, soon takes the stage for the annual Young Artist Showcase of the Music At First series.
During a recent interview with Reminder Publications, Yu, a freshman at Longmeadow High School, explained that he has been rehearsing for almost a year for the Feb. 19 concert at Old First Church on Court Square. Music At First concerts are free with freewill offerings accepted. The concert begins at 3:30 p.m. and is followed by a reception to greet the artist.
Yu's solo program will feature Concert Etude No. 3 in D Flat Major by Franz Liszt; Sonatine by Maurice Ravel; Fantasie by W. A. Mozart; Polonaise in F Sharp minor by Frederic Chopin and The Cat and the Mouse by Aaron Copland. Yu spends an average of 10 to 14 hours a week practicing, he said, adding it depends on the amount of homework he has, as well as saving time for school clubs, sports and student government activities.
Yu selected each of the works he will perform along with assistance from his piano teacher, Galina Gertsenzon of East Longmeadow. Gertsenzon has been Yu's piano teacher for seven years.
"My teacher is involved in each aspect of the preparation," he said, adding "she has been an inspiration and I respect her."
The feeling is mutual.
Gertsenzon described Yu as "intelligent, respectful, curious and an achiever." She said Yu is "not afraid of a challenge," adding he wants to understand a work before the lesson ends.
Gertsenzon explained that her main goal when working with Yu or any of her students is "to teach a language of music."
"Even playing one single tone," she said, "they have to produce it just the way a mature performer would." Gertsenzon added that each lesson requires musical grammar, proper technique for a proper sound, and the student showing her how the music should sound and how they can technically achieve it.
Gertsenzon said her lessons are "custom made" for each student, depending on their age, abilities and character. Currently, in her private studio in East Longmeadow, her students range in age from four to 40. She has also taught at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Smith College and Elms College, and for the past 23 years, at Westfield State College.
"My main responsibility is to show them what the music has to sound like, what needs improvement and how exactly they have to work to make the improvements," she said.
In preparation for the Feb. 19 concert, Yu and Gertsenzon listened to music and discussed the positives and negatives of each one before Yu chose the works he liked best and thought the audience would enjoy.
"I feel that all of the works are really great and I have put my heart and soul into learning each one of them," he said, adding "they each stand out because they have something different to offer."
Yu began his piano lessons at age five in his native Philadelphia. In 2000, he won first place in the junior division of the Massachusetts Music Teachers Association (MMTA) Piano Competition in Boston. In 2001, he was featured in the Young Artist Showcase at the First Congregational Church in Westfield.
In 2002, Yu won first prize in the MMTA state piano contest in Boston, and placed first in the Manchester Young Artist Competition (MYACC) in Connecticut. Additionally, Yu performed the first movement of Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 3 in the Springfield Symphony Youth Orchestra's (SSYO) season finale concert in 2003 and won the concerto competition.
"My greatest accomplishment would probably be when I won the concerto competition for the SSYO in the sixth grade," said Yu. "I played the first movement of Beethoven's third piano concerto and it was the first time I had ever played a work of this magnitude and I was really excited and ready to work extra hard."
What makes the win even more amazing is that he broke his pinky finger on his right hand about three months before the competition.
"This was enormously frustrating because I loved the piece so much and I wanted to work on it so badly," he said. "I was totally devastated and for a time I lost my hope for competing, but I decided to keep on going while everybody recommended that I try the next year. While I waited for my finger to heal wearing a tight splint and going through physical therapy, I did a lot of left hand work and I really put my mind into competing and I ended up winning."
Gertsenzon had also tried to talk him out of the competition but she said Yu was determined.
"I was never more happy to be proven wrong," she said.
Yu has also been awarded a certificate for Outstanding Performance from the MYACC in 2003, and in 2004, he again took first prize in the MMTA state piano competition. When he isn't performing on the piano, Yu also plays the violin with the SSYO and serves as its principal second violinist. Also, he was recently accepted as principal second violinist for the National Honors Orchestra in Boston.
"The Tuesday Morning Music Club and the Springfield Symphony Youth Orchestra have been a huge factor in my development as a pianist," Yu said. "The club gives me a lot of opportunities to improve my performing skills through all its concerts and it's really great being surrounded by people who are just as crazy about music as I am. I'd really like to thank all those people from the club who provide such a caring environment for a musician to mature. The orchestras also broaden my love through a lot of different types of pieces. It's great to play with so many other young people and to be under the guidance of our great conductors."
When Yu was asked if he thought his career path will be musical, he said he has no idea at this point.
"Music is a big possibility and if I do go into that, I would like to be a concert pianist," he said. "Still, I want to keep other things open. I'm a very enthusiastic writer for my school newspaper and I want to be editor-in-chief one day. I also enjoy biology and math and I really like the feeling of helping people out. Everything's kind of out in the open, I just have to see what works out."
The Music at First series continues on March 19 with the Chatham Chorale Chamber Singers, performing American music from folk songs to new classical works and popular music.
The series has provided innovative programming to area residents for more than 20 years, however, its future is now uncertain, according to Kathryn E. Coglizer, Managing Director, Music at First.
Coglizer explained the future of the programming is "uncertain" due to the retirement last summer of Charles Page. Page served as Old First Church's Minister of Music for 45 years, and had founded and guided the Music at First series for more than 20 years.
"In addition to presenting a variety of well-known local and national musicians, Page endeavored to provide a venue for young artists who have already had a considerable impact on the local music scene," said Coglizer.
She added that the concerts are intended to draw adults and young people from across Western Massachusetts.
For more information on the Music At First series, call (413) 737-1411.
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