14 Apr 2018 – 8:42
By Raynald C Rivera | The Peninsula
DOHA: Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra’s concert yesterday night was a brilliant showcase of the country’s undeniable wealth of young talents with dazzling performances of three young gifted musicians.
Led by conductor Elias Grandy, the concert held at Qatar National Convention Centre witnessed Tricia Enlin Ng on violin and Prama Yudhistra and Mia Park-Torchinsky on piano play alongside Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra.
Expertly performing long difficult pieces entirely from memory, the trio of precocious young prodigies once again showed the audience why they were crowned winners among the hundreds of competitors at the first ever Qatar National Music Competition (QNMC). They impressed the audience with their sheer talent and skill beyond their years.
First to take the stage was Indonesian pianist Prama Yudhistra who effortlessly rendered Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 20 in D Minor.
The 30-minute piece brought out the virtuosity of the 15-year-old winner of QNMC’s Piano Under 18 category. Prama, who started piano lessons when he was eight, also bagged several special awards at QNMC.
Mia Park-Torchinsky was both charming and passionate in her rendition of Shostakovich’s Piano Concerto No. 2 which won the hearts of everyone in the crowd. The youngest among the performers, Mia’s impressive technique and interpretation of the piece was met with several ovations from the adoring audience at the end of her performance.
Young violinist Tricia Ng, grand prize winner of Qatar National Music Competition, performs Niccolò Paganini’s Violin concerto No. 1 in D Major along with the Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra at QNCC. Pic: Baher Amin / The Peninsula
Capping the show was the performance of prolific violinist and the first grand prize winner of QNMC, Tricia Ng. Her energy and passion on stage was contagious when she played Niccolò Paganini’s Violin concerto No. 1 in D Major.
This Singaporean violin performer, who also won First Prize of the Concerto Cup and the First Prize for Strings Under 18 at QNMC, began honing her skills in violin at three years old.
A large number of people including ambassadors and representatives of various missions, members of different communities and music aficionados attended the concert to show their support to the country’s emerging talents.
The three performers were among the winners of QNMC which was organised by Qatar-based non-profit foundation Moving Young Artists (MYA) under the patronage of Qatar National Commission for Education, Culture and Science (NatCom) as a nationwide search for the best of Qatar’s musical talent aimed at creating a platform that encourages the best in music creativity and performance in Qatar. Held in October last year, QNMC saw more than 700 young aspiring musicians vie for prizes in various categories.
The next concert of Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra will be Elgar’s Enigma Variations scheduled on April 28. It will be followed by Brahms’ Second Symphony on May 5 and Brahms’ Violin Concerto on May 9, before concluding the season with Mozart’s Symphony No. 40 on May 14.
