The nationally acclaimed Patel Conservatory Youth Symphony performs Edvard Grieg’s Piano Concerto in A Minor, Op.16: Movement III, with piano soloist Austin Shin, winner of PCYO’s 2010 Concerto Competition.
Shin, a 17-year-old student at Berkeley Preparatory School, began taking piano lessons at age 3.
“When I was about 12 years old, I started looking up performances on You Tube,” said Shin. Impressed by a video of Yundi Li performing Chopin’s Fantasie Impromptu, Shin took a genuine interest in classical music. “I started watching other pianists and realized I wanted to play more pieces other than the one in my yearly festival.”
Shin also plays violin and has been part of the Patel Conservatory Youth Orchestra since he was in the fourth grade.
“I started in the String Sinfonia, and I've moved up as I got older,” said Shin. When he was in the seventh grade, he had the opportunity to perform with PCYO by invitation at Carnegie Hall in New York City.
"It was a really great experience, I got to play on one of the most famous stages in the world," he said. "It was like being a part of something larger than yourself, which is what being in an orchestra means."
Being in PCYO, "you work with great musicians and other high school artists, and it's good being with other kids who have similar interests," he said.
The annual Concerto Competition is open to juniors and seniors from any instrumental group. The winner performs the piece with the Youth Symphony in concert.
“This year I was lucky enough to win,” said Shin.
The concert will also include the beautiful and romantic Symphony no. 2 by Howard Hanson, and performances from PCYO’s Junior Philharmonic (Jason Jerald, conductor), String Sinfonia (Sandy Neel, conductor) and Concert Strings (Colleen Strom, conductor).
Don’t miss this opportunity to experience the splendor of these talented young artists! For tickets, click here.
It was awesome!!
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