Michelle Tang, 16, of Potomac, Maryland, is the 2018 Frederick Symphony Orchestra Young Artist Showcase winner. She’ll be performing with the Symphony in Eloquent Elgar on May 5, 2018 at Jack B. Kussmaul Theater at Frederick Community College.
The Montgomery Blair High School sophomore has played piano for nine years. She’s a two-time Maryland state winner in the Junior Piano Performance Competition by the Music Teachers National Association. She also won first place in the 2018 Vienna Grand Prize Virtuoso International Music Competition and the American Protégé International Piano and Strings Competition.
She’s a multiple-time winner of the Viola Hartman Piano Performance Awards, Miriam Shields Gottlieb Memorial Piano Competition, Maryland State Music Teachers Association Spring Solo Festival for String Instruments. She placed in the William Knabe International Young Artist Piano Competition.
She also won the Nora Lichtenberg Piano Scholarship Competition, Tselentis Bach Competition, Doris and Larry Chase Sonata Awards, and Ylda Novik Memorial Concerto Competition for Pianists.
She played at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C. as a prize winner of the International Young Artist Piano Competition. As the champion of the American Asian Music Society International Competition, Michelle played at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.
She also won Grand Prize at the American Fine Arts Festival and was invited to perform at Carnegie Hall in New York City.
As the winner of the Gertrude S. Brown Memorial Piano Concerto Competition, Michelle performed with the Washington Conservatory Community Orchestra.
Can you describe how you felt going through this competition?
“I was mainly excited. I love this concerto and being able to play it in this competition was a huge honor. Of course, I was also nervous.”
How did you prepare for this competition?
“I practiced each movement for a long time, and then rehearsed many times with my accompanist. I also attended a live concert by [pianist] Haochen Zhang at Strathmore Music Center [in Bethesda]…where he played this concerto…with the National Philharmonic, and another concert by [pianist] Kirill Gerstein with the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center.”
How does it feel to be this year’s winner?
“I’m really honored to be this year’s winner, and I also feel very lucky to have been given this opportunity because I know how hard all the competitors have worked and how difficult it is.”
Why did you choose Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2?
“It’s such a classic! I fell in love with it the very first time I heard it almost 2 years ago, and I’ve wanted to play it ever since.”
Are you looking forward to playing with the Symphony in May?
“I’m beyond excited. I’m so happy that I’ll be able to play my favorite concerto with the Symphony, and I’m genuinely really looking forward to the concert. The entire concerto is 38 minutes, and I will enjoy every second of it.”
What are your plans after high school graduation? Will you continue playing, studying, or teaching music?
“My dream is to attend a dual degree program between a music conservatory and another university, so I can have the best of both worlds.”
Who or what do you credit for your success at such a young age?
“A huge part of it comes from my parents’ support, as well as my piano teacher’s [Dr. Katerina Zaitseva] guidance. All my teachers have made a huge impact on my musical journey. I still have a long way to go though!”
Are you involved in any extracurriculars outside of the piano?
“I’m on my school’s debate and mock trial teams. I attend the Math, Science and Computer Science Magnet Program at my high school, so I also like doing STEM-related research and other projects in my free time.”
To see Michelle live, get tickets to the FSO’s May classical music concert, Eloquent Elgar: