San Francisco, CA

Fauré Requiem Op.48 by VOCES8

Fauré's Requiem is very special to me, and played a not-so-insignificant part in me pursuing music. In addition to being one of my favorite works in the Classical repertoire, it was the first major choral work I had ever performed as a chorister in the San Francisco Boys Chorus (at age 9), and is perhaps the work that I have gotten to know most across my entire musical life, having performed it over ten times as a boy soprano, once as a pianist, and twice as a tenor. I also had the (deeply moving) privilege to have been able to perform the work at the L'église Sainte-Marie-Madeleine in Paris, where Fauré was the church organist, and where the work was premiered in 1888.

While I will never tire of this Requiem, VOCES8's performance of this work is a breath of fresh air; they are able to do so much with such a small choir and ensemble, infusing the performance with a special delicacy and intimacy that transcends traditional renditions. One particular highlight for me is the Pie Jesu, in which soprano Andrea Haines notably performs it with beauty and purity - and without vibrato!

Table tennis, pickleball (as of recently!), food, and animals

John McCarthy, William Wellborn, Erna Gulabyan, Antoinette Perry, Yoshikazu Nagai

“To play a wrong note is insignificant; to play without passion is inexcusable” 
- Ludwig van Beethoven

How can I improve my sightreading?

I don't remember a time when I wasn't surrounded by music. Both of my parents are huge classical music fans, so classical music was always playing at home. I started singing in choir at age 4, piano at age 8, and cello at age 10. I attended a music-based middle school, a performing arts high school, and SFCM Pre-College. And I enjoyed every step of the way.

That, alongside the fact that my parents didn't want me to go into college for Computer Science on account of constantly being on a screen for a profession (little did they know I would end up spending 6+ hours a day on my iPad as a musician...).

I strive to practice as efficiently as I can. Before each practice session, I try to map out exactly which pieces and which sections within each piece that I hope to focus on, and how to approach them. Then I use my time away from the keyboard to score study and brainstorm ways on how to tackle future practice sessions.

Beethoven, Chopin, and Fauré

Performing an all-Fauré piano recital.