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Sarah Shatz
Pianist to debut program at Opera House
Haydn, Debussy, Chopin feature prominently
TRAVERSE CITY -- The sounds of Haydn, Debussy and Chopin will fill the City Opera House during a concert by pianist Xiayin Wang.
The musician from China will perform at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 25 at the downtown venue. The concert was rescheduled after a planned appearance here last year fell through. Wang, who studied at the Shanghai Conservatory, came to the United States in 1997 and attended the Manhattan School of Music. She has toured extensively and recorded several albums.
The carefully selected and ordered pieces she plans to play in Traverse City constitute a new program. She will start with a sonata from Haydn, followed by what Wang described as "a very colorful" and fun-to-perform piece by Debussy.
"Usually, (I) knock myself out in the end," she said.
Next up is a waltz from Scriabin, a favorite composer whose work she recorded on a recently released CD. The local concert will also include pieces by Ravel and Chopin and a Bach-Marcello concerto. The diverse program balances "heaviness and lightness," she said.
Wang's father plays the erhu, a two-stringed Chinese fiddle and has performed widely. Wang considers him a role model and drew inspiration from his way of performing. She started playing the piano at age 5 after taking an interest in the instrument during a kindergarten music class.
"After the class was over I would always go to the piano and try to imitate what the teacher played," she said.
The teacher suggested Wang's parents enroll the girl in piano classes. It's been a handful of years since she last performed in China. The country boasts a huge number of young musicians learning the piano, and audiences are knowledgeable, she said.
Wang likes to learn about the composers whose work she plays because that background information can enhance the music. Understanding the inspiration for a piece can help her connect it to her "own life experience," she said.
"That gives me a feeling of what I am looking for in this piece ... how to interpret the piece, how to play, how to present to the audience," Wang said.
Tickets to the opera house concert are $32 for adults and $17 for students. A special $75 pass may be purchased that includes a reception with Wang. For more information, visit the opera house Web site at www.cityoperahouse.org or call 941-8082.
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