In Sunday’s (7/5) Houston Chronicle, Colin Eatock interviews pianist and Houston native Esther Liao, who “at the ripe age of 9 … made her debut with the Houston Symphony, playing a movement from Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1. Now 18, she recently won first prize in the Houston Symphony’s annual Ima Hogg Competition. Along with $25,000, her prize included another engagement with the Houston Symphony … [performing] Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1—the whole thing, this time…. ‘My mom taught me how to read music, how to hold my hands on the keyboard and other basic things,’ says Liao. ‘I was never dragged to the piano…. It was a different approach to the whole “Tiger Mom” thing…. The Houston Symphony League organized things very well…. Also, I was able to talk with the other competitors, about life and stuff. It was a friendly environment…. I think competitions are a really great way for people to start a musical career.… I’ve been in my fair share of competitions that I didn’t win, and yet most of them were good experiences for me.”
Posted July 9, 2015
