Welcome to Wenli's journal entries! Here you will get an inside look into the life of a young emerging pianist.

September 9,2006

Goodbye China, Hello America

First of all, my apologies for being absent for such a long time. In the past week or so my dear students kept asking me what happened to my journal, what can I say? I had the whole summer to do it, but I’ve been really lazy.

I was in China for a while. It was CRAZY, but I absolutely loved it. As I ate, drank and made merry with family and friends, I was struck with this weird sense of reverse culture shock. Everything I saw or did reminded me of my life in America. Needless to say, China is a total different country as ten years ago when I left, I am glad I had time to explore and got to learn a little bit about the new China.

Lessons learned? Just go with the flow and try to be patient. 

In August my friend Mike came to visit, and we had a blast. We met many generous people in the places we had been to, and absolutely enjoyed all the food they had fed us. In Shenzhen, Mike and I judged a piano-duet competition, and it was an eye-opening experience. The Chinese kids have a different school of piano teaching compare to those in America. Their technique is solid, and their sense of rhythm is generally very good. We had a lot of fun teaching them as well.

I got back to Houston at 2am and started teaching the next day. I have three recitals to prepare and a year of coursework to finish. I do realize now how much I missed very basic things living at home in America. Sometimes the simplest thing is the most precious.

Finally, I am very glad to be back, it's a great feeling.

May 28,2006

The Golden Era of Classics

Allan Kozinn's article "Check the Numbers: Rumors of Classical Music's Demise Are Dead wrong" in the Times today brought us some good news to the classical music world.

"EVERYONE has heard the requiems sung for classical music or at least the reports of its failing health: that its audience is graying, record sales have shriveled and the cost of live performance is rising as ticket sales decline. Music education has virtually disappeared from public schools. Classical programming has (all but) disappeared from television and radio. And 17 orchestras have closed in the last 20 years.

The numbers tell a very different story: for all the hand-wringing, there is immensely more classical music on offer now, both in concerts and on recordings than there was in what nostalgists think of as the golden era of classics in America."

Sweet.

More here.

May 20,2006

Student Recital

On Mother’s Day my friend kris, Tom and I had a little recital for our prep students. We wanted to give the kids a chance to perform, we also wanted to make it as fun and inspiring as possible—and it was a success. Both Kris and I played a little something; Tom sang a song he wrote last year, and it was a hit.

Every time I see my students perform I get nervous. Watching them get nervous, but can only sit there knowing it’s beyond my control—not the best feeling in the world. Not only do I want them to do well, but more importantly, I want them to embrace the experience as a performer. After all, to emerge victorious in an activity as demanding as performing requires great courage and a superhuman organization of one’s self.

The level of performance in the recital was of course varied from one student to another, some had more time to prepare; some were more comfortable on stage than others, not to mention the age difference. But regardless of their level of ability, what the students don’t know is that for their teachers and parents, to see them express themselves in music regardless of their level is what really matters. I couldn’t stop thinking, should the rewards of performing be shared by everyone who performs?

To be continued…

April 24, 2006

Five Jewish Men

I read this somewhere today and thought it was interesting and funny at the same time:

"Five Jewish men influenced the history of Western civilization.

Moses said the law is everything.
Jesus said love is everything.
Marx said capital is everything.
Freud said sex is everything.
Einstein said everything is relative. "

April 21, 2006

Memories

My ears are finally getting a little tired of Frank Sinatra after five months, for some reason I started to listen to the Beatles again. I first got serious about their music in the fall of 03, when I was doing my Master’s at the University of Michigan. Back then I was taking a pop music analysis class, which totally reshaped my thinking of popular music. I still remember clearly how shocking we were (or I was) when we heard the Beatles, realizing how much more interesting and shall I say, funkier the pop music had become. It was like they were from a different world than anyone else before them.

Ah, Michigan, those good old times…

Now three years have gone by, McCartney is still my favorite of the four; Listening to When I’m Sixty-Four still makes me tingle; I still can't decide if I like Rubber Soul or Revolver better.

It is funny how music brings back memories so easily. Through the years, things change, people change, but it’s comforting to know that some things that will never change are always in your heart.

p.s. I know I said I was going to write more about practicing, and I promise it has been on my mind a lot lately. I think I might just need a little more time.

:-)

April 15, 2006

Why Don't You Practice?

As the school year comes to an end, everyday I am feeling more and more nervous about the semester juries for my students. For some, a little more practice will make my job a lot easier. I can’t help asking myself “How on earth can I get them to practice?”

The following image comes to mind immediately: You are at the piano eager to resume your work on a piece, it makes you happy just to think about how much better you will sound in a few hours. But as soon as you attempt to unravel the difficulties of the first technical passage, your mind starts to wander. You think of a friend you want to see, a movie you want to watch, no matter what it is—you would rather be doing something else. You love music, you love the piece, you love playing, but loneliness crowds out your concentration. You won’t have it; you force yourself to practice; you try the passage over and over again. It is no use. By now you are already away from the piano. Guilt overcomes you. You think to yourself: “I really should be practicing.” Two seconds later, you say “oh well, the musical world will survive without me, there’s always tomorrow.” Then you call up a friend to meet for a drink.

Sounds familiar? Not only that’s common among amateurs, even professional experience it at times. The question still remains: “Why is it not easy to practice, and practice properly?” I turn to Mr. Seymour Bernstein for some help. His book “With Your Own Two Hands” leaves me these thoughts:

Well, practicing is a very lonely activity; sometimes it can be boring as well. For this reason it can come from an incapacity for self-discipline. I have talked to people who experience anxiety at the very thought of practicing alone. They may even look upon practicing as a sacrifice instead of a necessity. They believe that each hour spent at the piano separates them from those they love and any attempt to concentrate is shattered by the specter of aloneness. Therefore some individuals may come to resent music as well as their teachers. Needless to say, total isolation in the practice room at all times isn’t likely to fulfill an artistic calling of any kind. Rather, it is important to achieve a balance, between practicing (being alone) and communicating with others (being social), and to relate one experience to the other.

More to come…

February 10, 2006

I killed My Cactus

I was on the phone with a friend talking about how to write a canon, suddenly I glazed over my study table, realized that I had never watered my cute cactus ever since I got it over Christmas! Totally unrelated, I said to him, “Am I supposed to water my cactus?” He laughed, said “I like how you just came up with that question. I don’t really know, go look up ‘cactus care’ on google.” My search results told me that I do need to water the plant every few weeks. So I did.

But the poor little thing is dying. I don’t think anyone can kill a plant like cactus except me.

February 07,2006

Composers

Here are some notes from my friend Ming-Hsiu's culture class at University of Michigan:

There are different kinds of composers:

1. Asian composers—who only success in Asia

2. American composers—who only success in America

3. Asian American composers—who success in both Asia and America

4. Composers—who are so successful that people do not care about their nationality, for example, you don't care where Bach was from...

January 31, 2006

New York, Chinese New Year and More

I had a blast in New York this past weekend. My concert went very well. The Donnell Library center has a nice hall with a nice new Steinway. I felt very comfortable playing— I think my two concerts in Houston had prepared me well for this one. About 200 people came, to my surprise, the audience really understood what they were listening to. I was once more reminded how fun it is to just play music for people, especially when they love it, of course.

I love what I do.

New York city is huge, but to me it could be small as well. This trip brought me one pleasant surprise after another. I hung out with Mike for two days (and thanks for the nice flowers, Mike!). Without planning, I met a few friends who I hadn’t seen for years, it even got better—I finally got to meet people who I had always wanted to meet. The most freakish? Dongshu and I were on the subway, after one stop, someone came in, I looked up, it was my friend Yang from L.A.! I had absolutely no clue he was going to be in the city, he was just in the city for that very day and happened to get on the same cart of the train that we were in.

Since Sunday was Chinese New Year, Chinatown was the place to be. There was literally a sea of people—yes, worse than China for sure. People were playing firecrackers on the street, kids were in their new red outfits watching lion dances, people had to stay in a long line in every restaurant.

I walked out of Chinatown with a severe headache. It was overwhelming but everyone was happy. And so was I.

Life is a wonderful ride.

January 26, 2006

Recital Dairy 1

This week I have played two recitals in Houston. Two very different halls, pianos and audience, but as I get more comfortable on stage, I’ve never felt so great playing! I have been playing in enough compititions, and have forgotten how fun it is to play for people who just come for the sake of music. Nothing makes me happier when people come to tell me how much they enjoyed the performance and how much they were inspired by the music. This absolutely makes all that hard work worthwhile.

Off to New York City tomorrow for my third recital of the week. I am going to see my dear friend Mike from Philadelphia. He had to make arrangements so he can come to the concert on Saturday and we can celebrate Chinese New Year together on Sunday. I can’t wait to see my other friend Dongshu too.

January 21, 2006

Recital Poster

Thanks to my dear designer friend Minting, my cool posterof the recital for Wednesday is born. Speaking of recital, I went to my friend Kris’s recital Thursday night. It was great. Especially when he played his own compositions, I’ve never heard Kris sounding so alive! It was so him. Everyone loved it. I started to think, would be so interesting if everyone always plays something of their own?

Or, we should play everything as they are our own.

January 20, 2006

State of Mind

I was in the library checking out some recordings, the guy who stood besides me said to me: “ Are you in the music school?”

“Yeah. “

“Are you a undergraduate?”

“No, I am doing my doctorate here.”

“Oh, what instrument do you play?”

“Piano.”

“Cool, how long is your program?”

“Well, about 75 minutes. I’ve got Haydn, Brahms, Rachmaninoff…”

Hmm…yeah, that’s all I have on my mind these days.

Crazy Musicians.

January 18,2006

All I Do Is Practice

After 10 days of struggling in the practice room, my pieces for the recitals are finally starting to take shape. It is really amazing how much one can accomplish in a week and half. I have to admit though, that this very program is the most ambitious one I have ever played (what was I thinking?). Everyday I come home with a backache from playing, but luckily it’s gone when I wake up in the morning. Except sleeping, I hardly get to do anything else.

Yesterday I played a couple of my pieces for a group of colleagues. I wasn’t super proud of the performance, but it was good enough. A girl came to me afterwards and whispered, “You have to tell me your secrets.” I said without even thinking, “No, there are no secrets, all you need is practice.”

My second thought? “Practice is how you get to Carnegie Hall.”

January 07,2006

Panic

Last night as I penciled in my teaching schedule for next week, I suddenly realized that my concerts are just a little more than 2 weeks away. None of my pieces is memorized yet, and it’s a 80-minute program! I think I am in trouble. It felt so good to practice again for the past three days; it was like putting a fish back into water. I guess from now on this feeling will be accompanied by a tremendous amount of pressure, for the next three weeks, at least. Ah, the art of music making.

January 03,2006

The Cute Factor

Jessie Cohen, The New York Times/Smithsonian National Zoo, via Reuter

I was having a conversation about being cute with a girlfriend at dinner yesterday. She said, "you know, it's very hard being cute, it's like a curse, it brings you boyfriend troubles." Nowdays women are trying to be “cute” all the time, but what makes a person or a thing so cute that will make everyone melt? I found a very interesting article in the New York Times today:

“…features and behaviors that make something look cute: bright forward-facing eyes set low on a big round face, a pair of big round ears, floppy limbs and a side-to-side, teeter-totter gait, among many others. Cuteness is distinct from beauty, researchers say, emphasizing rounded over sculptured, soft over refined, clumsy over quick. Beauty attracts admiration and demands a pedestal; cuteness attracts affection and demands a lap. Beauty is rare and brutal, despoiled by a single pimple. Cuteness is commonplace and generous, content on occasion to cosegregate with homeliness.” More here.

Hmm, it doesn’t sound very hard.

January 01, 2006

Ah, Another New Year

My left hand is finally getting better so I can type normally now. I have been taking two weeks off from piano (and everything else) because of that. I can’t wait to go back to practice on Tuesday after they take my stitches out. I sure hope I can still remember how to play. Last time I checked, my left hand could only reach an interval of seventh. Apart from the physical pain I had on my hand, I really miss playing. This is probably the longest I haven’t touched piano for the past three years. I am also looking forward to my concert in the Donnell Library in New York City on January 28th.

I had a wonderful holiday. I met some very special people right before Christmas and a dear friend came to stay with me for a week in Houston. The weather was warm (it was actually my first Christmas without any snow, and yes, it is a bit weird.) and we had the greatest time. I was able to visit many places that I didn’t get a chance to. We went to Hermann Park, Kemah Boardwalk, and I loved the butterfly conservatory at the Houston Natural Science Museum. The butterflies were so beautiful that almost took my breath away. Can you imagine walking through a lush tropical rain forest, exotic butterflies fly overhead and all around you?

Year 2005 flew by so fast for me. I am grateful for what I have gained, for those people who inspired me on so many levels. In the mean time, I believe 2006 is going to be just as great. Have a great year, everyone!  

December 18, 2005

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

I cut my palm when I was cutting a mango yesterday, ouch! It looks really bad, I think I might need stitches. In order to avoid the expensive charges of going to Emergency, I covered my wound with Neosporin, a pad and some tape. Later yesterday I was having dinner in Korean town with a friend. The food was so good, we spent a lot of time just to sit there and enjoy. By the time we were leaving, my pad was coming off. Then it started to bleed. So we drove around the area to look for a CVS or Walgreens—like always, when you are looking for something specific in mind you just can’t ever find it, but it’s all around you when you are not looking. So finally we stopped at a gas station and hoped they have some Band-Aid for sale. I walked in, a mid-aged Korean lady who hardly spoke any English couldn’t understand what I was asking for. After pointing my hand to her, she took out her first-aid kit from the back,cleaned my wound carefully, then covered my hand with a pad. I thought that was the sweetest thing.

People say holidays are all about giving, I think that was the best holiday gift I can ever get. 

December 15,2005

Meeting Prof.Peter Schickele

Peter Schickelewas in Houston last weekend. He is a composer and humorist who, although he also writes serious classical music, gained popularity through his satirical compositions recorded as the fictitious character PDQ Bach. Schickele regards PDQ Bach as the “last and certainly least” of the sons of J. S. Bach. I had heard Schickele’s show on NPR and was looking forward to his live concert. The show at Rice’s Stude hall was all sold out. There was even a very long waiting list before we could get a ticket. I was disappointed. Soon I learned that the only other way I could go in was as the “fake audience in the gallery.” I didn’t think twice about what I was getting myself into, just followed my dear friend into the hall.

I had the greatest time at the concert. It was one of the most brilliant concert I have been to in a long time. The very clever Schickele writes music in the name of P.D.Q Bach, which pokes fun at the greatest classical works, but at the same time, by poking fun, he demonstrates the utmost respect for it. He parodies the styles of each period, the lives of the great composers, even particular harmonies and well-known themes. The concert was clever, funny, and very entertaining. 

It turned out I was acting as a cheering fan at a ball game for his “New horizons in Music Appreciation.” In this, Schickele makes Beethoven's Fifth Symphony the subject of sports commentators. It was a match between the orchestral players and the conductor. P.D.Q Bach does in New Horizon's in Music Appreciation, is possibly the funniest segment of classical music ever written. And yet, without realizing it, audiences actually learn about the music too. The ideas of themes, motifs, cadenzas, solos and even sonata form recapitulations are painlessly expressed.

The most clever thing about P.D.Q Bach's music though, is that the more you know classical music, the funnier it gets and the more of the references you understand. The very names of his compositions are fabulously clever as well: The Short Tempered Clavier, A Little Nightmare Music, Missa Hilarious, Safe Sextet, the Erotica Variations and the 1712 Overture amongst dozens more. He also calls his performers as “singists,” “captain of the orchestra,” and “discontinuo” for a cellist who sits there except for the last movement.

Schickele's music itself is actually very good at being very bad. He recreates a style so exactly, with such subtle accentuation or exaggeration that it’s funny. Schickele is, during normal working hours, a serious composer having written symphonies, string quartets, movie scores and a large body of serious bassoon music. And when you peel away the humour in his P.D.Q Bach, what's left is really good stuff. To me, Schikele and P.D.Q Bach have served to introduce many non-classical music fans to that style of music. Too often in the classical music world, we get caught up in the seriousness of the art, discussing the finer details of a particular conductors rendition of an obscure work. Maybe at times we just need to lighten up and have a great time!

December 5, 2005

Snow in the Village

If you ever come to Houston, make sure to visit the “Village” close to Rice Campus. It is a really cool place to hang out, restaurants, bars, shops, cafes…you name it. I had the best Mocha the other day in a French café—it even came with a chocolate covered spoon, and a gingerbread cookie! I am very lucky to live close to the village and do not have to pay a fortune.

So I was driving by the village on a beautiful afternoon last weekend, it was about 70 degrees outside. There were kids singing Christmas carols on the street, ah, it’s Christmas time, I thought. As I drove along the street, I saw kids playing snow on the ground. Believe it or not, it was real snow! Well, artificial, of course, but who cares, they looked like they were having so much fun. Some were throwing snowballs at each other, and some were building a snowman. It looked funny because the kids were all in their short-sleeve t-shirts and shorts. But hey, maybe this is how they celebrate the Christmas season down here in Texas.

Can’t believe the semester is over, and year 2005 is close to an end. Happy holidays!

November 24, 2005

Happy Thanksgiving!

November 19, 2005

San Antonio

Ever since I moved down to Texas, I’ve always wanted to visit San Antonio, because I’ve heard a lot of good things about the place. Plus I’ve played John Harbison’s San Antonio for Saxophone and Piano many times. So today was the day. As expected, the River Walk was beautiful, and I had the best Texas-Mexican food in my life! I hope I will go back there soon.  

Surprise in San Angelo

My teacher, a colleague of mine and me drove to a little town in west Texas called San Angelo over the weekend for a young artist competition. It was about 6, 7 hours of driving from Houston. We had a great time.

On our way to San Angelo, we listened to a lot of Cds, one of them was Heifetz playing the Brahms violin concerto with Chicago Symphony. It was beautiful. It made me think about a friend of mine. He’s a terrific violinist who I hadn’t seen for a long time. So we listened to more music and finally got to San Angelo at 1 in the morning. In the lobby of the hotel, there was a list of the young artists who were competing, surprisingly, I saw my friend’s name, and guess what, he’s playing Brahms! Anyway, I called him the next morning, and we were happy to see each other. It turned out that he won the competition, and I am really happy for him. You deserved it, my friend.

Besides I had the best steak in my life in San Angelo, that was the highlight of my trip.

November 15, 2005

It's one of those times

I performed Haydn Sonata in G major Hob:XVI/40 and Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a theme by Paganini (with the second piano) in a mini recital yesterday. It was an okay performance overall. But I felt uncomfortable, tense and awkward on stage, especially in the Haydn Sonata (The Rachmaninoff Rhapsody never gets easier, I was glad that I got through). The phasing was too short; the sound was too thin, the piece didn’t flow well… I can just go on and on about things that I was not happy with. Brave enough, I listened to the recording with my teacher today. Though two perfectionists put together, we thought it was not bad at all! I mean, there are a few places that I need to fix, but I am pretty happy with my first performance of the piece. The strange thing is I seriously thought my presto movement was in a conservative tempo, but it sounded rather fast in the recording.

As a performer, I guess playing with feelings is always a good thing, but we can’t trust our feelings a hundred percent at times.

Off to write my Mahler paper.

October 30, 2005

Thoughts on Teaching continued...

One of my teachers Mr. Lynn Harrell once said this: “When a student plays very well, people say ‘he’s such a talented boy!’ when a student plays badly in a performance, people whisper ‘who is his teacher?’ I laughed. Now come to think about it, to some extent, this is very true. One of my Rice Preparatory students Camilla played in the Preparatory Recital recently. She is one of my star students. We had worked on the two pieces very thoroughly for about 3 weeks before the recital. I knew she was going to be great. On the day of the performance, Camilla came in her adorable green dress, she didn’t look nervous at all. On the contrary, I was feeling the butterflies in my stomach. I was worried if she would remember all the notes, if she would play too fast, if she would forget the things we talked about in lessons…She didn’t forget any of those; she played beautifully. But I am sure I was more nervous than Camilla herself, her parents, or probably anyone in the audience.

The other thing I learned during my good teaching week is that one of the best moments for a teacher is when he or she opens a door for the student. One of the most depressing experiences for a teacher is to realize how little he or she can do, relatively, in spite of all his/her honest efforts, if the student is not gifted.

Teaching is an art.  

October 28, 2005

Thoughts on Teaching

It has been a good teaching week—things just flow out of my mind in lessons, yes, it’s one (or a few) of those days. As a young teacher, I sometimes have feelings and thoughts that are at times so contradictory (as is life itself) that any formula, any blue print is a helpless attempt to indicate the most important. It occurs to me often that, when a teacher is also a performer, though he or she offers a number of advantages compared to one who is only a teacher (first thing that comes to mind—for being a living example), yet to a certain extent, one who is purely a teacher appears to be more of a piece. His life and passion is directed at a single aim. I once read that psychologists say that a real teacher assesses himself seriously only from the point of view of his student. For a performer that is unthinkable! I think the main reason why I had such an enjoyable time teaching this week is because I was able to practice well everyday. When I don’t have sufficient time to practice myself, the quality of my teaching immediately suffers. I lack temperament and breadth of vision because of the nagging feeling in my heart. The nagging feeling is there because I do not go forward, I do not improve, and I am not being creative. This thought reminds me of Mr. Don Sinta at the University of Michigan. He used to be the first person to be in the music building every morning. By 7 o’clock, he is done practicing for the day. He once said to me “ Once you are done with your practice, then you are happy, now you can make other people happy.”

More to come...

October 7, 2005

Walimai

I am going to Tucson today to play on Brian Sacawa’s faculty recital. I got to the airport a little early, for the first time, I forgot to bring a book with me. So I sat there and let my mind fly. I thought about random things, from house keeping to piano playing. I really liked it. I definitely need more time like this—just sit down and think about whatever comes to my mind.

Brian and I will give a “preview performance” on Michael Djupstrom’s new work for Saxophone and Piano “Walimai,” at U of Arizona before its world premier in Ann Arbor on October 17th, for the Michigan Music Teacher’s Association 2005 Conference. Brian is an exceptional classical saxophonist, who I enjoyed working with for the past 3 years. Mike is not only a brilliant young emerging composer but also a great friend of mine. I can’t ask for more! I have been having a lot of fun learning “Walimai.” The piano part is very well written. I don’t think it’s too technically demanding, but it sure has a lot of music in it. I’ve talked to Mike earlier about the piece, and sure was inspired by his enthusiasm. I am excited. I can’t wait to put the piece together with Brian. For the first time, part of me feels nervous. I am worried that I won’t have the same vision of the piece as Mike does. I want to play the piece just the way he hears it in his head. Is it because he’s my dear friend who I respect and care so much, that I don’t want to disappoint him? I mean, how did Clara feel when she played Robert’s pieces?

September 30, 2005

Cancelled by Rita

About a week ago, Hurricane Rita was going to hit Houston. Everyone here freaked out. So many people tried to leave town, some took 12 hours to get to Austin (where it usually takes 3 hours from Houston), and some took 26 to get to Dallas. My friend Melanie spent $1400 to fly to Detroit, it took her 4 hours to get to the airport, and she had to stand in line for another 7 hours to get on a plane. It was insane! But we were spared. My apartment and my new Beetle I had bought a week before the Hurricane were untouched. Part of me was disappointed--I wanted more action. Nevertheless, I am thankful that no harm was done.

I ended up staying here. We got 6 days off from school. Got to have a lot of things done, I thought to myself. It turned out I didn’t do anything but sleeping in and cooking lavish dinners for myself. It is funny that many people I talked to, no one got anything done during the Hurricane, even though we all had the whole time in the world. For me, I never get things accomplished during a break, or even on weekends. I just let myself be lazy. I guess during the Hurricane, not only school, but my mind was cancelled by Rita. Time to go catch up my work now.

September 14, 2005

Settling in

Sorry for my absense for so long. The intensity of my schedule doesn't allow me to do things I would like to do, such as writing, or reading for pleasure. I still need to finish a couple of books I was reading in the summer. But Texas is treating me well. I love Rice! It's really a great school, everyone is very supportive. Houston isn't the best place to live, but Rice makes up for it. Much more to come, I promise. Before that, enjoy the NPR (National Public Radio) Performance Today's interviewwith Alfred Brendel yesterday.

August 30,2005

Words on Food

The past couple of weeks have been tough. I really miss the comfort being home. What else do I miss? The food. Needless to say, eating was one the biggest goals of my trip—all my friends probably agree with me on that. I love to eat, I must live to eat (as opposed to some people eat to live). The food back at home is of course phenomenal. China might be one of the very few places where eating out is indispensable to daily living as it is to business dealing. Eating isn’t only about filling up one’s stomach, it’s a part of Chinese culture; it’s a social event, people connect with each other on the big round table. What if you ever get tired of Chinese food? No worries, in big cities like Beijing and Shanghai several international chains have bucked the international trend, competing to offer the best food. My friends took me to a trendy (even by American standard) Louisiana restaurant with a big jazz band playing every night. There are also German restaurants, beer halls, brewing houses, where its waiting staff of locals dressed as Bavarian maidens move busily between the heavy wooden tables. Not to mention Japanese, Thai, Cantonese, you name it.

My hometown Chengdu in Sichuan Province is famous for its spicy and aromatic food. Hot pepper, is of course an important flavoring in Sichuan cuisine. You may wonder why the red pepper is so popular. Here is a common explanation: Sichuan has a humid climate that encourages people to eat strongly spiced foods. The red pepper may help reduce internal dampness. Sichuan pepper is another important ingredient in Sichuan cooking. It is known as huajiao (flower pepper). It looks like a tiny reddish brown fruit. The peppercorn comes from the prickly ash tree.  The pepper flower creates a most sudden numbing effect on one`s tongue. Sounds scary? Apparently a lot of people like the sensation, it is really not as bad as you think.Now here's one of my favorite Sichuan dishes for you, so please enjoy.

Crave for more? See here.

August 24,2005

Back on Track

Sorry about my absence for so long. I am finally back in Houston. Boy, it’s hot here! They say it’s going to be really nice in mid October –can’t wait! I had a great summer, I’ve grown a lot though all the playing I did and all the people I met. I am looking forward to the exciting incoming academic year.

August 3, 2005

What is Style?

A conversation between Frank J. Oteri, editor of the Web magazine NewMusicBox and John Corigliano, one of my favorite contemporary composers.

July 27,2005

Unveiling the Beauty of Fairland Foursome

My friends and I drove to Si Gu Niang (four girls) mountains for a couple of days earlier this week.The mountains are as beautiful as their name, even though uncovering their veils and appreciating their many charms was exhausting. The Mountains are located in Xiaojin County of the Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture in western Sichuan Province. It's about 5-6 hour of driving from my city Chengdu. At first I hesitated about taking the trip--having lived in a metropolitan city for many years, I had formed the opinion that any scenery so close to a large city could offer no real fun. There are so many fun things things I can do in the city. But my friends told me that I would regret it if I didn't go. The road seemed endless. Our van wound its way over mountains and across huge valleys like a small bug, elevating us higher and higher.Gradually, I felt my legs become numb, my eardrums under pressure and my head dizzy. My companions told me these were symptoms of altitude sickness, because we were already nearing Balang Pass, which is 4,487 metres (14,721feet) above sea level.Finally, we got there. Everybody was amazed by the heavenly appearance of the Siguniang Mountains. Almost beyond description, the Siguniang Mountains stood in the remote distance, like four beautiful Tibetan girls dressed in white scarves.The highest peak on the left is the Fourth Girl mountain, then the third, second, and first.

There is a beautiful, but sad, legend of the Siguniang Mountains. Many years ago, there lived a mountain god called Balang who had four beautiful daughters, and the youngest was the tallest and had the most graceful figure. A devil admired the girls' beauty and wanted to marry them. So the devil suggested to the mountain god that they fight a duel. If he won, he would get the four girls. The mountain god was killed by the devil. And the four girls fled and eventually died from the cold weather. Their bodies became the Siguniang Mountains and their father became the Balang Mountains. But another tale holds that the four girls were later saved by a hunter and became fairies. The Siguniang Mountains resemble four graceful fairies wearing white mantles and waving to guests from afar.

For more pictures from my trip, click here.

July 16, 2005

Home Sweet Home

After 15 hours of long flight from Detroit to Tokyo to Beijing, I am in China for a month. It's been more than two years since I've been home. It will be great to see my family and friends. My uncle and his family is coming to Chengdu from Xi'an, my cousin is coming back from Hong Kong, we are going to take a trip to the beautiful Jiu Zhai Gou, last time we had a family reunion was about 10 years ago. I am excited.

As soon as I got to Beijing, my feelings about being able to see how rapidly China changes are just indescribable. China used to be so poor, but it isn't so anymore. Everything moves so fast, it makes you wonder if you are really in a communist country. 10 years ago you might have trouble finding a bag of M&M, but you can find just about anything now. One thing that hasn't changed is that there are so many people here! You can even smell it! At Beijing Capitol Airport, people rush like crazy, they run around as if it's the end of the world. I mean, if you think LaGuardia is busy enough, come to Beijing airport. I will enjoy my time here and will keep posting photos of my trip.

July 12, 2005

Ciao, Ann Arbor. Ciao, Michigan...

I am back in Ann Arbor for a couple of days before going back to China. Will be there for a month, and will be moving to Houston after that. I have lived in Michigan for the past 7 years and in Ann Arbor for the past 3. Michigan is like my second hometown. Ann Arbor is really a college town, small but very nice. Did you know that they’ve got the very first Border’s in downtown Ann Arbor? A lot of wonderful things have happened to me here, I’ve grown so much with my teachers, my friends, and my colleagues. I am grateful that it’s been wonderful; I will start the next chapter of my life with all good memories, bye Ann Arbor.

July 7,2005

Cincinnati and the World Piano Competition

Hello from Cincinnati, Ohio. I am here to play in the 2005 World Piano Competition. It is my first time in Cincinnati and it’s been very enjoyable. It is hillier than I expected, but to me it has its own charm. Most of my good experience with the city comes from my host family—Duncan and Rosalind. They are the sweetest Scottish couple who lives in a nice wealthy area called “Indian Hill.” Duncan said the town is modeled after an old English village. They have a very nice house with 8 cats and 2 big dogs. So far I’ve only seen 6 cats and of course, they mind their own business most of the time, and as for the dogs, they are always around during dinnertime, trying to get something off the plate.

The World Piano Competition takes place in the Aronoff Center for the Arts in downtown Cincinnati. Nice hall, decent Steinway, great pianists from all over the world, nothing could be more perfect. I have been lucky enough to be one of the 7 semi-finalists and got 4th prize. Having played in 3 rounds in the past week with an hour and fifty minutes of music, I feel exhausted—both physically and mentally. I bet all the other six are in the same boat. This makes me to think about those young musicians out there who compete in international competitions all the time. Why do we keep entering them? Does it mean that somebody’s going to have a big performing career if she or he won a competition? Well, if you won Cliburn, maybe, but there’s no guarantee. It takes a lifetime’s work and commitment to become a real artist, competition is just one of the many things we do along the way. To me, entering competitions is stressful but very rewarding; it’s a great opportunity to perform, to reach out for more audience. I learn something every time. In the end, the experience is almost greater than the result.

June 30, 2005

Hello~

Brian has been encouraging me to have a blog, and had even offered to make me one. He himself has a great one named soundslikenow. I think it’s a great thing but quite frankly, I doubt that I won’t be able to maintain one. To me, having a blog is like doing emails. When everyone started to use email, it was cool at first but then it became an everyday routine. So I’ve decided to add a journal page on my website, where I can jog down my thoughts every now and then. I invite you share my journey as a pianist and a person, and once again, welcome.