Debra Li

Debra_lidan@163.com

To celebrate the city’s young musical talents and spice up its already vibrant cultural scene, five-star Kempinski Hotel Shenzhen turned its lobby into a stage for budding pianists on Saturday. The evening’s event marked the beginning of a series of mini concerts, planned once a month, which will in the future give a spotlight to youngsters playing the violin, ocarina, cello and many other instruments.

Opening the show was a warmup performance by six hotel staffers who sang the beloved “The Lonely Goatherd” from “The Sound of Music.”

Then, six students from Lang Lang Music World, a piano school in Nanshan District, aged 5-16, gave a spirited and graceful display of their expertise.

Huo Chuyan, a beginner pianist, performed a lovely short piece of “Jasmine Flower.”

Huang Jiali, though tender in age, gave a fiery performance of Dmitri Kabalevsky’s “Toccatina,” whose fast-paced and exciting tempo is rather challenging for a young piano pupil. He also performed “Clementi Sonatina.”

Wang Yinuo from Shekou International School performed two pieces from Tchaikovsky: a very soothing “Sweet Dreams” and beautiful “Song of the Lark.”

Chen Yongxin played a movement from a Beethoven sonata.

Nie Jiajia brought a pleasant surprise by performing three pieces from “Eight Memories in Watercolor” by Chinese composer Tan Dun. Described as a “diary of longing” and inspired by folk songs from Tan’s native Hunan Province, the works are lyrical and of a strong Chinese flavor. With slight revisions suggested by Lang Lang, the series resonated with the audience who were transported back to their hometown and childhood memories.

Bringing the concertini to its climax was 16-year-old Zhang Li, who proved her verturosity with “Hungarian Rhapsody No. 10” by Franz Liszt.

Kare Ma, director of Lang Lang’s piano school, thanked the hotel management for providing this opportunity for her pupils.

“The kids will face a lot of challenges in their music journeys, and hopefully they will treasure each chance that comes their way to perform in front of an audience; gradually, they will learn how to deliver stellar shows and reach out to their listeners through music,” she said.

Saturday’s concertini also marked the 122nd anniversary of the Kempinski hotel group, a European brand first founded in 1897.

The hotel’s general manager Torsten Dressler, who himself had taken 10 years of piano lessons and is a great fan of classical music, said he and his team are happy to share the musical night with the community.

The hotel has also been a sponsor of Lang Lang Music World’s annual scholarship program.