Jeffrey Chin was selected as a Lang Lang Scholar for 2018-2020.
JEFFREY CHIN, FROM ODYSSIAD® WINNER TO LANG LANG SCHOLAR
We recently contacted 2014 Odyssiad® winner, Jeffrey Chin, to catch up with him six years later. Here’s what Jeffrey had to say:
The Dynamic: It has been a long time since you were a winner in the International Keyboard Odyssiad® & Festival, U.S.A. Can you fill us in on your musical journey after IKOF?
Jeffrey Chin (front left) pictured with Janet Landreth and fellow participants at the 2014 Odyssiad® Festival.
Jeffrey: 2014 seems such a long time ago. How time has passed. Since that wonderful time, I have continued studying music and piano. I studied with Larry Graham and Jasmine Steadman until 2016 when I was accepted into Juilliard Pre-College where I studied with Hung-Kuan Chen for three years; I graduated from Pre-College in 2019. Afterward, I began my studies with Yoshikazu Nagai who is chair of the piano department at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. I am an upcoming second year student at the conservatory but due to the pandemic, I will do remote learning this fall. Hopefully, I can return back to San Francisco for the 2021 spring term.
The Dynamic: I believe you moved to New York with your family to attend Juilliard. What was it like for a young teenager to go to Juilliard?
Jeffrey: Yes, it is correct that we moved to New York in 2016 to attend Juilliard Pre-College. On one hand, it was exciting to be given the opportunity to study at such a prestigious institution like Juilliard but on the other hand, it was also quite anxious and stressful. Prior to that time, I lived in a safe, quiet, stress-free, beautiful environment in Colorado. New York City is crowded, loud, and aggressive with higher living stress. Also, when you are studying with some of the best pianists in the world, it can be difficult to get noticed; however, I did get significant benefits from studying at Juilliard for three years. You appreciate the talent, and understand the level of playing necessary to be the best. You also appreciate the level of teaching from Hung-Kuan Chen and Dr. Kaplinsky, as well as having masterclasses with professors like Robert McDonald and Boris Berman at Yale. I had exposure to music theory, ear training, chamber music, compositions, etc. Finally, I was able to hear many excellent concerts, not only at school, but also at Carnegie Hall and the Lincoln Center.
The Dynamic: How did you spend your summers?
Jeffrey: From 2015-2017, I was a student at the Aspen Music Festival and School where I participated in masterclasses with Arie Vardi, Stephen Hough, and Inon Barnatan. I participated in their piano concerto competitions as well as performing in public recitals. Then in 2018, I was invited to participate in the PianoTexas Festival held at TCU. That summer, I was also invited to participate in the Oxford Piano Festival in Oxford, England. Last summer, in 2019, I was invited to give a recital at the Grand Piano Series in Naples, Florida as well as another recital in Poland.
The Dynamic: Did you have a chance to perform with any other orchestras?
Jeffrey: In the summer of 2018, I was given the opportunity to perform the first movement of the Grieg Piano Concerto in A-minor with the Midwest Youth Orchestra in downtown Chicago at the Pritzker Pavilion.
The Dynamic: I heard that you were selected by Lang Lang as one of his Lang Lang Scholars. That’s amazing! How did that come about and what opportunities did that open up for you?
Jeffrey: I was selected as a Lang Lang Scholar for a two year term from 2018-2020. The program was a wonderful opportunity. In fact, it was the Lang Lang International Music Foundation that sponsored my trips to the Oxford Piano Festival and the Midwest Music Festival where I was given the opportunity to perform the Grieg Concerto, as well as the performance opportunities in Naples, Florida and Poland. The foundation also gave me the opportunity to perform a recital for the Gilmore Festival in Michigan this past October, a performance at the Lincoln Center for the Chinese New Year Celebration in 2019, and to patients at the Children’s Hospital at Yale.
Jeffrey Chin in his Lang Lang Scholars Graduation Concert, Jan. 16, Carnegie Hall, Weill Recital Hall.
The Dynamic: Are you still involved in the Lang Lang Scholars program?
Jeffrey: Yes, once your two years as a scholar is complete, and you have performed at their graduation concert at Carnegie Hall, you become a scholar alumni. Recently, I was invited to participate in arranging a finale concert work for piano students to perform virtually as a part of the foundation’s annual gala this upcoming fall.
The Dynamic: What are your plans for next year?
Jeffrey: I will continue my studies at San Francisco Conservatory of Music. I also have an interest in data science and statistics, and currently I am doing an online certificate program in data science. In my spare time, I have taken an interest in composing new-age piano music and hope to someday compile an album of my own compositions in the future.
The Dynamic: Thank you very much, Jeffrey. We hope that one day you will play at the International Keyboard Odyssiad® & Festival again!
