Competing against 150 top young pianists nationwide, two Interlochen Arts Academy seniors were chosen to compete in the prestigious Third New York Piano Competition.
Lo-An Lin of Taiwan and Kara Huber of Illinois submitted a compact disc of their work in January. A panel of three judges, listening to each entrant's work separately, selected the Interlochen students and 20 other outstanding musicians ages 14-18 to participate in the June competition.
"These are fantastic players from Julliard and Curtis preparatory, so you should really be proud of yourselves," Michael Coonrod, an instructor at the Academy, told Lin and Huber.
This week-long event will name first through fourth prize soloists as well as first and second place ensemble duets. Winners receive scholarship money as well as performance opportunities; the other contestants each receive a $1,000 scholarship.
"This is our third year and the caliber of the contestants is truly the best talent in America right now of that age group," said Melvin Stecher, co-founder with Norman Horowitz of the New York Piano Competition. "It's our time to give back to all these youngsters."
Stecher and Horowitz taught and performed together for decades. They founded the New York Piano Competition in 2004 to nurture the talent of high school age pianists. In addition to the competitive events — which include two solo events, a duet round and a concerto round — the week will feature master classes, seminars and performance opportunities.
Unlike most musical competitions, participants are not eliminated after each round. Instead, each of the 22 pianists in the New York Piano Competition will complete — and learn from — each round.
"Stamina plays a factor, and consistency," said Yoshikazu Nagai, Lin's teacher at Interlochen. "Competitions for me are more like athletic events than artistic events, there's a mental toughness that you have to prepare yourself for."
The musicians select their own programs and can focus on their strengths and passions. One of the solo rounds must include a commissioned piece by composer Michael Torke, with students learning, rehearsing and debuting the work that week. The students will also be paired randomly to play a duet.
Lin is reprising her appearance at the New York Piano Competition, having been selected as a finalist two years ago when she was a sophomore at Interlochen. With her sights set on a career as a concert pianist, Lin is considering three schools next year: the Cleveland School of Music, the Curtis Institute of Music and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.
Attending the New York Piano Competition opens doors and boosts confidence for these young musicians, whose talent is off the scale.
"I'm really excited, it is educational and [I can] see all my friends," said Lin, who has been studying the piano for 12 years and previously studied in the violin.
Huber, in her second year at Interlochen, also aspires to be a concert pianist. Whereas Lin is classically trained and focused, Huber has a broader musical background and interest. She played flute and was in band, musicals and choir for years. Her previous studies in jazz prompted her to pursue this interest at Interlochen, where she is the jazz pianist for the Interlochen Jazz Ensemble.
"It's a blast, a very different group of people to work with," said Huber, who is weighing the merits of college next year at Eastman School of Music, the Cincinnati Conservatory and Webster University. "It's helped me be completely free and find whatever sounds good. In classical music, everything's basically laid out for you."
One invaluable aspect of the competition is that these musicians can test themselves outside of their safe environment, the comfort zone of peers and teachers they know and work with every day.
"For a lot of young people, it can be a reality check," said Nagai. "It can be a real motivation or it can make you feel better."