Taking the Stage at Symphony Hall

By Rachael Chen

On a Tuesday evening in June, as the sun began to set in Boston, the Symphony Hall lights came on, putting Rivers School student Adalia Wen ’25, along with Andrew Kim and Fei Yang-Sady from The Rivers School Conservatory, in the spotlight as soloists with the Boston Pops. Following years of dedication to the guzheng, cello, and violin, respectively, their captivating musicianship earned each of them the opportunity to perform with the Boston Pops after winning three of the four grand prizes in the 2022 Boston Pops Fidelity Investments Young Artists Competition.

Talented high school musicians from across Massachusetts audition for the annual Young Artists Competition, but only four exceptional young artists (and sometimes fewer) are selected to perform with the Boston Pops. In preparation for the concert, winners rehearse with the Pops and receive one-on-one coaching with Maestro Keith Lockhart. Working and performing with world-class musicians is not something high schoolers get to do every day, making this “such an honor,” said Kim. It was “an incredible experience,” added Yang-Sady.

“The most important goal of my performance was to inspire other musicians that play instruments unique to their cultures, or that perform cultural music, to seek big audiences like I did,” said Wen. Preparing He Zhanhao’s guzheng concerto, The Eternal Sorrow of Lin’an, for her Symphony Hall debut and first public guzheng performance allowed Wen to learn more about her culture’s history. We caught up with Wen recently to chat about the experience.

Why did you choose this concerto to perform over other guzheng concertos?

Nearly everything about China is represented in its music: the architecture, the landscape, the history, the aesthetic, and even the different dialects. My teacher, Hui Weng, chose this piece for me because it was the first guzheng concerto ever composed. It represents a significant turning point in guzheng repertoire, where Western elements started to become fused with Chinese music. This piece is also important for its story, “The Sorrow of Lin’an,” which is based on the death of the Chinese patriot and general Yue Fei.

What’s something new you learned about yourself from this experience?

I’ve learned that I am extremely lucky to have had my family’s and The Rivers School’s support during the process of preparing and for the performance itself. I’ve also learned, from having classes with world-class musicians at the BSO, that I have a long way to go. They gave me an idea of what the life of a professional musician is like.

Do you hope to perform with the guzheng more often? If so, in what kind of settings?

Yes, I would love to share the guzheng with local communities. I’m hoping that the diversity in genre will be exciting for audiences and bring more recognition to folk and cultural music. I’ve just recently given a recital with both the piano and the guzheng for a local senior residence. The warm reception the guzheng received is very encouraging.

I’m also working on an ensemble performance for the Lunar New Year celebration at Rivers and a commissioned work for the annual Contemporary Seminar for the Young at The Rivers School Conservatory. As for settings, I’m mostly aiming for ensemble opportunities because the guzheng has a lot of potential for that, especially for more contemporary music.

Could you please share some inspirational advice for musicians of all levels who are currently preparing for a performance?

Work in order to enjoy sharing it with the audience. As the musician, it is your responsibility to bring your best work; however, it is also your privilege to be able to share such beautiful music and connect with so many people who are there to listen to you and appreciate what you are doing. Performing is the most wonderful and rewarding experience any musician can have, so enjoy it.

What are you looking forward to next?

I’m looking forward to more competitions, festivals, master classes, and performance opportunities, especially those that reach out to local communities. I’m very fortunate to be a part of such an understanding and supportive community at Rivers, which helps me balance my musical endeavors with my academic life.

Creating Community Through Contemporary Music

As a composer I feel like I have something important to say. If I have doubts, they usually don’t last too long, because it’s the projects that I do and the people I work with that make it all meaningful for me,” says Andrew List, Berklee College of Music professor, accomplished composer, and now commissioned composer for The Rivers School Conservatory’s 2023 Seminar on Contemporary Music for the Young.

The seminar is an annual celebration of contemporary music. The event began in the late ’70s and took place this year from March 31 to April 2. Select RSC students had the opportunity to work and collaborate with the seminar’s commissioned composers, which over the years have included such significant figures as John Cage, Philip Glass, and Joan Tower. They also experienced what it’s like to offer the world premiere of the commissioned composer’s work.

List was thrilled when Gabriella Sanna, director of the RSC, asked him to write a piano trio for the seminar. He says, “My piece is called The Dignified Heart for violin, cello, and piano. The Dignified Heart is a tribute to three human rights leaders: Eleanor Roosevelt, Nelson Mandela, and Harriet Tubman. I am inspired by the courage of these people and lives they led, and also by the cultures they came from. I used certain music that they used or liked, or was a part of their culture, weaving it into specific parts of the musical fabric.”

Leading up to the performance of List’s trio, the threeday event featured a roundtable discussion focused on contemporary music pedagogy and the performances of 10 small, personalized commissions. The small commissions involve collaboration between Berklee composition students and RSC musicians. List was particularly excited about these collaborations: “Together, they are helping to shape today’s new music.” —RC