Kiser Studio Activities: Late Spring and Summer, 2024: Peace Center, Star Wars, Seniors, Competition Photos Etc.

Welcome and thanks for reading. I'm going to share a number of photos from competitions, concerts, recitals and piano related events from the Kiser Piano Studio (and Family). Be patient as the photos load.

Look at these awesome photos (courtesy of GCYO!) from our student Andrew Ning's performance at the Peace Center for the Performing Arts on May 31. Andrew was the winner of the YAO Concerto Competition. He is mentioned in this news article in the Journal: https://greenvillejournal.com/arts-culture/greenville-county-youth-orchestra-interview-with-new-director/

A video of the performance will be out soon. I will be sure to share it here on the Kiser blog.

And here is Andrew playing through Grieg's Piano Concerto, 3rd mvt. for Dr. Park to set tempos and transitions and a pic from the dress rehearsal:

A little clip from a rehearsal at the Fine Arts Center and the YAO orchestra (Young Artist Orchestra-Orchestra, eh):

Lisa played for another movie with the Greenville Symphony on May 4 (now you know the movie). This concert was at the Bon Secours Arena in downtown Greenville. A few pics from the piano:

The Asheville Area Piano Competition is turning into my favorite event. Here are a few pics of our winners mentioned. All the group pictures contain Kiser Studio students, with one or two kids from other studios who joined the picture. What I like about this competition is the recital at the end. Winners from each experience category have to show their stuff!

Piano friends (Eleanor, Angelina, Eva, winners, all of them)

Showing their winner certificates, 1st through 4th places. Henry's is upside down:

Funny pose at the reception:

Three of our seniors who competed: Jason, Henry, Olyvia

Student Joseph Liu, 1st place in Early Advanced Category. In the lower left hand corner is a picture of one of the judges David Brickle, a former classmate of ours and terrific pianist.

Also in the Asheville area was Lisa's performance in the Asheville Symphony. Very hard celeste and piano part for the Korngold Violin Concerto. Concerts are at the Baptist church while Thomas Wolfe auditorium is being renovated. Beautiful building. Last pic is Lisa posing at the Thomas Wolfe (who wrote Look Homeward Angel) home. Can you spot the black bear that wanted to go to the concert:

Here are some photos from the Crescent Music Club Scholarship recital that I"reviewed" here: https://www.kiserpiano.com/post/crescent-music-club-recital-review-2024

Many of our students won scholarships:

And here are our winning seniors! Four in all, one of our biggest "classes". Next year Nathan W. is going to have to pick up where they left off. We wish them to keep playing piano and many of them have expressed that they will continue doing so in college:

(from left to right in the pic below)

Jason Zhang, Dartmouth College

Olyvia Fan, Duke University

Renee Wang, Butler University (Dance Program)

Henry Sun, Amherst College

Congratulations to them!

And a pic with the Kiser family and Seniors after getting some Ice Cream:

A group of our students performed at Senior Action and held a question and answer session with the audience:

Here was our spring recital held at our friends Steinway Gallery in Greenville. First is the young students and then the "older" students:

While on vacation to Japan this summer we had a chance to encounter music in various forms and even make it in a mall.

A bust of Brahms found in the middle of bustling Tokyo on a backstreet called Brahms Path that brings instant respite from buzzing commercial street of Harajuku:

We saw the Tokyo Ballet perform Romeo and Juliet at Tokyo Bunka Kaikan in Ueno Park. Even though we were suffering from jet lag it was an amazing experience.

Even at Tokyo Disney Sea there were classical music references like this old fashioned restaurant in the "American" town area of the park:

In the lobby of our ryokan in Takayama:

We played for shoppers at this public piano in Ariake Gardens. Mainly adults would come and play, pulling out sheet music from purses or using an Ipad. An older man played the Heroic Polonaise by Chopin.

And this is the piano that Lisa used when she was growing up in Korea:

That's all. Thanks for reading and happy practicing if you are student. The new school year starts soon, learn those notes in the last remaining weeks of summer.