Festival Gala Concert to showcase Treasure of Talents
Participants to be awarded medals, certificates, special prizes
KUWAIT CITY, May 24: The Kuwait Music Academy announces that the Treasure of Talents Festival Gala Concert will be held on Friday, May 27, at 7:00 pm at the Al-Shaheed Park, Multipurpose Concert Hall, Visitor Centre, between the 1st Ring Road and Al Sour Street.
The newly opened Al-Shaheed Park is a place for relaxation, multipurpose activities and cultural events for everyone living in Kuwait — people of all ages and interests. This time the Park hosts music, youth and talents.
Stage for youth
The ‘whole day open stage’ concert kicks off at 11:00 am onwards each part beginning at an interval of two hours — 11:00 am, 1:00 pm, 3:00 pm and 5:00 pm — for young people studying and loving music from Kuwait.
“We also want to congratulate young musicians for their achievements and also their parents for all the support they have given them, this is in addition to friends and families who encourage and enjoy them.”
All participants will be awarded medals, certificates and some of them will walk away with special prizes — trophies and plaques commensurate with their achievements.
Just like during every concert festival the audience will vote for their favorite participant for the ‘Audience Prize’ award.
Music is an important part of education for the youth because it plays a prominent part in their social life and because it develops creativity, selfexpression, confidence, memory skills, coordination, concentration, poise, esteem, teamwork, possession of abstract language and much, much more in addition to setting goals in life. In short music overcomes all barriers from within.
The ‘Treasure of Talents’ music education program was established by Prof Anna & Cezary Owerkowicz in 1992 — the year of Kuwait’s liberation from the (Iraqi invasion) which brought to Kuwait the world renowned Exams of Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music, London, UK.
Conducted
For the first two years the exams were conducted at the residence of the Professor before moving to the British Council, which is much appreciated. Past participants in the Treasure of Talents (ToT) have walked away with many distinctive and internationally recognized certificates.
Many participants in the ‘ToT’ program have successfully continued their education at the best universities and music academies across the US, UK, France, Canada and Poland. “We are very proud of them. This year in practical and theory of music exams the ToT participants have won many worthy awards.”
“The talents are found everywhere. Talents are treasures for the community. We have to search for them, develop them, encourage and support them. This is noble cause for every society.”
As it is every year the event will be crowned by the Gala Concert at 7:00 pm. It is a tradition to see outstanding young musicians of international repute most talented winners to be presented during the event.
The star of the evening will be the most popular in Kuwait and the most recognized musical prodigy pianist, violinist and vocalist in the entire Gulf — Hai Wei Li.
He was born in Kuwait and began to play the piano when he was four. His Chinese parents work in Kuwait in the medical field. He is a scholarship student at the Kuwait Music Academy. He has won the Young Musician award during the Gulf Competition in Dubai.
Recently has won on Dubai, UAE the Gold Cup and First Prize as the Best Musician & Pianist in the Below 15 category in the competition for the Young Musicians of the Gulf Competition.
In the yearly competition, which was established 15 years ago in Bahrain but now is held in Dubai started hosted 84 participants from around the world, and 62 of them made it round two and six made it to the final.
A file photo shows HaiWei Feiuxe and Sheikh Nasser pose with KMA founder Prof Cezary and other winners. Teji poses with trophies with KMA founders Mrs Fajer Al-Mazidi and Prof
Cezary.
The petite Hai Wei Li presented on the Grand Piano a selection of music including J. S. Bach Prelude and Fugue, J. Haydn Piano Sonata and Aram Khachaturian’s Toccata.
He won the title and the cup almost as big as his size and most importantly the hearts of the houseful audience, the jurors and organizers.
What a way for the young lad to climb to the top. A few years ago his elder sister Feixue Li a.k.a. FeiFei began to study piano, first from her father and later at the Treasure of Talents Musical Education Program under Professor Anna Owerkowicz. She appeared to be both extremely talented and hard working and achieved a lot in just few years.
FeiFei has won several top prizes in Kuwait as in Kuwait Chopin Competitions (2007 & 2010) the First Prize at the Gulf Chopin Competition (2010), Treasure of Talents Festivals and in the Gulf Region, including The Best Musician & The Best Pianist Soloist and in Chamber Music/Ensembles (for three consecutive years) at the Young Musicians of The Gulf Competition in Bahrain. For the past two years FeiFei is a student of the Royal Academy of Music, UK.
When Hai Wei was sitting (even sometimes sleeping) during her piano lessons their mother, Mrs Zang Feng insisted on FeiFei’s teacher, Prof Anna to begin teaching also her four years old son.
From the very beginning he became an excellent piano player during frequent concerts which were held under auspicies of the Treasure of Talents and won certificates and the International Exam of Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music. In just four years of studies this talented boy completed eight Practical
File photo of the youngest winners of
2013
Inna Agibalova
Philharmonia. Last week he performed at the European Piano Competition in the United Kingdom where his sister FeFei is studying.
The Kuwait Music Academy proudly presents its student and his achievements and congratulates him on his successes and extends the best wishes for his bright future.
As a small child Hai Wei Li has won in 2010 the First Prize in the regional Gulf Chopin Competition in Kuwait organized by UNESCO celebrating the 200th birth anniversary of great Polish romantic composer, Frederic Chopin which was held under the patronage of HH Sheikh Nasser Al Sabah.
Kinga Masternak — a soprano singer and pianist was born in Wadowice, Southern Poland, in the birth city of the late Pope John Paul II. In 2006 she graduated with honors from the Music Academy in Bydgoszcz (Poland) under Professor K. Popowa-Zydron as well as in vocal studies. She is also a graduate with honors of the Frederic Chopin Music College in Cracow (Poland).
Kinga has completed several master courses in piano under world knowned professors: A. Orlovetsky, A. Jasinski, V. Nossina, J. Sulikowski, D. Joffe.
She has performed as a singer and piano — soloist and played jointly with music ensembles in Poland, Germany, France and Czech Republic.
International
Since 2009 she has been very successfully working as a piano and vocal lecturer at the Kuwait Music Academy. Many of her students have won top prizes at international music competition in Kuwait, Bahrain, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Cyprus.
Inna Agibalova has graduated with honors in 1994 from the Piano Faculty at Music College in Donetsk, Ukraine and continued her music study at the S. Prokofiev Music Academy.
In 1999 she graduated from the Academy Piano Faculty under Prof N. Chesnokov and Vocal Faculty under Prof. G. Kalinkin. She also completed master classes and post graduated studies at the S. Rachmaninoff Music Academy in Rostov in Don, Russia in 2006.
Since 1999 she has been giving piano and vocal lectures at the Ukrainian Music Institute and other professional schools. She has also performed successfully as a piano soloist in several countries including the Middle East — Kuwait, Qatar, Jordan and Syria.
Since 2015 she has giving lectures in piano and vocals at the Kuwait Music Academy with excellent results.
Both female artistes will present works soprano vocal with piano and piano solo by composers from Viennese Master Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart through ‘Titan of Piano’ — Franz Liszt, Italian opera genius, Giacomo Puccini to great Russian late romantic late Serge Rachmaninoff. Hai Wei Li will play Bach, Beethoven, Chopin, Prokofiev, P. Martin and Chinese Lee Guo Quang music on piano and violin and will complete his performance with traditional Chinese and popular Kuwaiti songs.
Teji Wang — pianist, flutist and violinist is a young Chinese student and the winner of 2016 edition of Treasure of Talents.
Currently a sophomore in the American School of Kuwait, Teji Wang showed interest in the art of playing piano when she was eight, and has expanded her interest in music by embracing two other musical instruments, the flute and the violin.
As an experienced player she surpassed the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music, London, UK International Exams on those three instruments in every grade crowned by completing ABRSM diplomas on flute and piano.
In 2013 Teji Wang won the First Prize in piano and 3rd in flute at the 9th Emirates International Peace Music Festival held in Dubai and the following year in 2014 also won the Prize in flute at the Tenth Festival.
She won during three consecutive years: 2013, 2014 and 2015 the Main Prize at the Treasure of Talents Festival of the Kuwait Music Academy and several other prizes. Teji Wang looks forward to advancing in music with her professor Karol Masternak.
The feast of music
Performers and the program of the event promise the great attraction and emotions for all — the participants, fans of music and supporters of contestants. It will be a real Feast of Music.
All additional information is available at: Kuwait Music Academy, Salwa, Block 1, Street 100, Al Danah Bldg, Tel: 66568600 or 6654 9009. Website: www. kuwaitma.com, Facebook: Kuwait Music Academy, Instagram: @kuwaitma; e-mail: masternakpiano@gmail.com, info@kuwaitma.com