Victoria Symphony Splash 8-year-old piano soloist fueled by cookies, love of music

A young pianist is making waves in Victoria’s classical music scene. Ceilidh Millar reports.

Echoing throughout the halls of the Victoria Conservatory of Music is Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 21 in C Major.

This kind of repertoire is normally performed by university-level students and professionals.

On Sunday, it will be played by eight-year-old Felipe Jiang at Victoria Symphony Splash.

“It’s a lot of hard work and practice,” said Jiang.

It took only two weeks for Jiang to learn the piece under the direction of his piano teacher, Ingrid Henderson.

“When Felipe first came to me he was only five-years-old,” explained Henderson. “He came from Argentina so all he could speak was Spanish but he learns [the music] very quickly.”

The soon-to-be Grade Four student at Hillcrest Elementary School will perform on Sunday in front of an expected crowd of 40,000 people.

Jiang will be the youngest soloist to perform in the event’s 28-year history.

“My favourite thing is to play with an orchestra,” said Jiang. “That’s my favourite dream. I can earn money to help my family.”

Jiang’s Mother, Cynthia Liu, couldn’t be more proud of her son.

“I cried when I got the news from the Symphony,” explained Liu. “Finally, he got his first step for his career.”

The boy admits there’s one thing he might love as much as music – cookies, especially chocolate chip ones.

“I want to get the cookies and put it beside the piano,” said Jiang. “When the orchestra plays and I don’t play anything I’ll just grab it and eat it.”

He’s on a cookie-free diet until his performance to ensure he’ll fit into his custom-made suit.

“I have a blue bow tie and very cool shoes.”

Jiang is a boy at heart but a musician well beyond his years, who will bring to life a centuries-old piece for all ages to enjoy.

CHEK News will be live streaming the Victoria Symphony Splash on our Facebook page this Sunday starting at 7:25 p.m.

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