Local pianist to hold recital to show her appreciation
SIBU: Local pianist Edrea Kong Yi will give a recital which she termed as ‘Senior Recital’ on Oct 1 at the Zion Methodist Church here beginning at 7.15pm. Admission is free.
“This will be my first piano recital in Sibu,” she told reporters here yesterday.
She explained: “The reason why I am doing it (giving the recital) is because I want to show my appreciation to friends, teachers, relatives who had supported me when I was studying at Soochow University in Taiwan.”
Kong graduated with Bachelor of Arts (majoring in piano and minoring in organ and vocal).
She started playing piano when she was six years old. She took a break after attaining her Grade 8 at age 13.
She resumed her piano learning when she was 16.
At 17, she passed the International Music Examination Board ( IMEB) Associate Diploma in Piano Performance with Honours.
She then went on to emerge champion in a Modern Piano competition held in Australia.
At 18, she left for Taiwan to further her study in Piano.
Last year, she had her first piano recital in Taiwan.
Kong aspires to build her music career in Sibu as she feels the music industry here has plenty of room for improvement, particularly in terms of classical music.
“When I was studying in Taiwan, I realised that Malaysian students were finding it tough to cope with their lesson.
“I think the reason is because Malaysia doesn’t have many music institutes,” she said.
Currently, Kong is teaching piano to about 18 students here.
The former Science stream student of SMK Kampung Nangka said she has always had strong passion for music and her parents are very supportive of her venturing into music as a profession.
“After the Oct 1 recital, I’ll probably stage at least one or two recitals yearly,” she enthused.