A Piano Recital Story

My family moved from New Jersey to Wisconsin in 1984.  At that time, my oldest son, Victor, was 7 years old.  Victor took piano lessons when he was 5 years old. So when we settled in Wisconsin, we found him a piano teacher in our neighborhood.  The new teacher also taught adults.  Therefore both my son and I enrolled to the new teacher’s class.

We bought a decent piano in our new home.  In the evening after supper, both my son and I practiced at the piano.  To be honest, my piano musicality was quite limited.  But, at the time, I was thinking that my diligence in practicing piano could be a good example for my son to practice piano every day just like his dad.

There were approximately 5 adult students and 15 children students in her class.  The children's students were  playing music at their appropriate levels. Victor was playing the Suzuki lessons at level 4.  I was given Bach’s Invention. 2 in C-minor’ piece to practice.  Bach’s Invention was a challenging piece for me.

Three months later, the teacher said to the kids that there would be a piano recital for all the kids.

I then asked the teacher. Do parent stdents also need to play at the rehearsal ? 

The teacher said no. She said that the recital was only for kids.  

I didn’t know what I was thinking at the time. I said to the teacher that I would love to play at the recital.

The teacher then said, “For kids, everyone needs  to memorize the music. They would play the  piece without the music; but for adult, you can bring the music with you.” 

Again, I was overconfident. I told my teacher, I would memorize the piece and play the piece without music. 

So, my son and I were working very hard at the piano, at least half an hour a day. .  I felt very confident at the time of recital which was approximately 2 weeks after her initial announcement. 

The rehearsal took place at the  Houdini Museum, a historical museum of Appleton.  The museum had an antique piano.  Some antique piano might have keyboard stickiness issues. 

All the kids were at the recital. However, I was the only adult in the recital. I was at the last to play in front of the audience.

The kids seemed not to be bothered by the keys in that antique piano.  One by one, they all played their music well.  One by one, they bowed, and one by one the audience applauded.  

It was my turn. I suddenly felt tinkling with my feet and my fingers.  It was probably the feeling of a stage flight. 

I sat in front of this antique piano and hit the first C minor chord  on the piano; I immediately felt  the keyboard stickiness of this antique piano.  Worst of all, I froze in front of this piano while the audience was waiting anxiously for me to start and finish the music.  After few embarrassing moment pass, I do not remember how did I came out that embarrassment. My wife said that I did not play at all. But I think my teacher sat besides me to help me the initial phrases and I regained my composure to finish the rest.

Few years later, Victor switched from the piano to Cello, and after that, I did not touch that piano.  That was 1990.  When we moved from Wisconsin to Ann Arbor in 2023, we donated the piano to a church which needed a piano at the time.

Victor’s cello skills are really shining.  Today, he continues to practice and give  a cello performance.  On September 22, 2024, he and his friend played Shostakovich’s cello and piano concerto at the Ann Arbor Reform Church. 

Although my musicality is quite limited, I continue to sing in the choir of my church.  I also play recorders at Ann Arbor Recorder Society here.

Both the choir and the recorder group perform in front of the audience.  But one thing is for sure,  I will not perform solo in front of the audience.