Salzburg, Austria, home to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, was my home for two weeks this summer. It is a Baroque-styled city flanked by a foreboding mountaintop fortress, gardens alive with the sound of music, and rich historical sites exuding an extravagant musical aura. The Mozarteum University, located next to Mirabellgarten (where some scenes from The Sound of Music were filmed), was founded in 1841 by Mozart’s widow Constanze Weber Mozart. As an acclaimed school of music, it attracts students worldwide. Mozarteum offers masterclasses at their summer academy, while the city celebrates “The Salzburg Festival,” the largest classical music festival in the world. World-renowned professors teach the masterclasses, and students must audition by submitting a number of performance pieces from different composers and styles in different eras and I was lucky enough to be admitted to Professor Ya-Fei Chuang’s masterclass.
I spent most of my time during the first week inside the university, taking lessons, studying, and practicing. It was during the 13 hours a day I was there, that I came to know students from around the world. Each student had a unique playing style, and I learned how each piece could be expressed. Professor Chuang was a fantastic teacher who fine-tuned my technique and playing skills and taught me to perform confidently and expressively to wow the audience. On Friday, I was fortunate enough to be able to perform at the university, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The nervousness and exciting anticipation, the crowd of my fellow students, and the room’s ominous presence all contributed to an experience I will never forget!
After a weekend-long excursion to Vienna, I returned once again to Salzburg. Instead of playing, I focused on listening to and learning from the talented musicians as they fielded their professors’ critiques. Each professor had their way of teaching, notably Professor Robert Levin. When I first entered his classroom, I was shocked by his humor and patience. He taught enthusiastically, laughing, singing, and even acting out what the music entailed. His vibrant and unique teaching style opened up a whole new way of conceptualizing music to me. He even let some of his students play on an antique Fortepiano to express how the music sounded hundreds of years ago.
Two weeks flew by, and I was left reflecting on the culture, food, music, and attractions Austria had provided. The masterclass served me in many constructive ways. I not only progressed significantly as a pianist, but was introduced to the drastically different lives of students who weren’t from Boston. During these interactions, I learned more about their cultures and shared my experiences as a hockey player, rower, fisherman, and, most importantly, a Belmont Hill student: experiences many of them had no sense of. I will never forget showing videos of the Loop and hockey games at our home rink, and seeing the utter shock on the other pianists’ faces as they tried to comprehend how a sport could be so physically scary, yet so entertaining and exciting to watch. Thank you, Austria, for such an amazing experience.
