Five contestants advanced to the final round of NTD’s 7th International Piano Competition on October 17, following their performances in the semifinals held at Merkin Hall of the Kaufman Music Center in New York.
The competition aims to promote the traditional arts of pure authenticity, goodness, and beauty while celebrating the masterpieces of the Baroque, Classical, and Romantic periods.
This year’s event features a specially commissioned piece arranged from a vocal work by D. F., the Artistic Director of Shen Yun Performing Arts. Titled “Holy Grace,” the composition is a symphonic poem inspired by classical Chinese music for the piano.
Semifinalists were required to perform this commissioned piece and compete for the “Best Rendition Award of the Commissioned Composition.” Contestants shared their interpretations of the work.
“To me, this piece is about the Creator, who created us and let us come down to the human world to learn a lesson,” said Ching-Yi Lin from Taiwan. “There are tribulations in the process, and there may be some more magnificent moments, which are all experiences of life.”
Jean-Luc Therrien from Canada described the piece as “maybe more like a prayer, or something, just looking for an answer from above. There’s a lot of theatrics.”
Shen Yun composer Qin Yuan, who arranged the commissioned piece, expressed her surprise at the contestants’ interpretations.
“First of all, they gave me a big surprise. I think I learned a lot today,” Qin remarked. “Everyone came from different ethnic groups and backgrounds; each has a unique understanding of music, life, and the arts. What I saw today was a rich expression of music that far surpassed my expectations.”
Qin was particularly impressed with how the contestants handled timbre—the quality or character of sound.
“Based on their understanding of the music, there were moments when I felt that I was not listening to a piano or the sound of wood and steel wires,” she noted. “Instead, I heard the sound of musical instruments such as guqin, and sometimes I seemed to see a kind of velvet fabric. It was really wonderful.”
The finals and winners’ concert will be open to the public and livestreamed on NTD’s and The Epoch Times’ websites and social media channels.
Finalists:
- Shih-Yeh Lu, Taiwan
- Ching-Yi Lin, Taiwan
- Jean-Luc Therrien, Canada
- Tang Hsing Lien, Taiwan
- Robert Neumann, Germany
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