Exceptional young pianists play to support youth mental health

Music for music’s sake and helping a great cause in the process. Three exceptional young pianists invite you to a concert that celebrates the power of music, with 100 per cent of proceeds going to support youth mental health at Victoria General Hospital.

“We are so used to ‘we do this, we get this award’ but this has nothing to do with it. It is more pure. And more heart. I want that direction to be spreading around more. Enough with competition,” said Shoko Inoue, speaking of the Young Pianists benefit concert.

After travelling the world pursuing a highly successful international career as a concert pianist, Shoko Inoue made Victoria home and is teaching students to play for the love of music, not for the accolades. To share music with the world for the pure joy and emotion of it brings an inspiring depth and intensity to the experience.

Three of Inoue’s young students are doing just that on March 8 at the Dave Dunnet Community Theatre. Felipe Jiang, 9, Lucy Lu, 14, and Ricky Chiu, 14, will pour their hearts out through the keys as a way to raise funds to help support youth mental health at Victoria General Hospital. 100 per cent of the ticket sales will go directly to the hospital.

“It is very touching. We want as many people to support the children and the hospital and to support this movement of art being a real alive thing rather than competition,” said Inoue.

Felipe Jiang, 9, has been playing piano since he was four years old.

“I love Beethoven because he was very strong and never gave up. He had a very hard time with his hearing but he still wanted to write the music. If I play the music and sick children hear the music maybe they will feel the same as Beethoven and never give up,” said Jiang.

Lucy Lu, 14, also started playing when she was four.

“We want to help other people and let them know that all of us are together. Even though different people are suffering from different hard times, the music can make us together,” said Lu.

She will be playing the Argentina dance music of Ginastera.

“When I first saw the Argentina dance music I was actually shocked. It’s so different than the classical music. This is one of the hardest pieces I’ve played in my whole life. It took me several months to practice just one page. It is very inspiring. The rhythm and melody is so different than other music I’ve played so far. It is really, really interesting music,” said Lu.

Ricky Chiu, 14, started playing piano when he was three years old. He looks forward to playing Chopin at the benefit concert.

“I love playing Chopin because I love the way his music takes you on an adventure. For example, with his concerto, the three movements are so different. There is so much contrast. I just love going from one story to the next. It’s like reading a book but you are in control of what happens and I just love that feeling,” said Chiu.

Works by Schubert, Beethoven, Chopin, Dvorák, Ginastera, Debussy will be played at the concert.

Young Pianists Present: a benefit concert in support of youth mental health.

7 p.m., Thursday, March. 8

Dave Dunnet Community Theatre

2121 Cadboro Bay Rd.

Tickets - $25

Buy online at victoriahf.ca/piano/ or at Munro’s Books or Ivy’s Bookshop.