Life is Grand for pianist

At age 22, pianist Chu-Fang Huang is a rising star in the world of classical music. She’s performed on international stages from Shanghai to Amsterdam. In the United States, Huang already has made her Carnegie Hall recital debut and has played in many cities. And she has a full schedule of performances lined up for next season.

Since May, Huang has had an even higher profile. The South Philly musician was one of six finalists in the renowned Van Cliburn International Piano Competition held that month in Fort Worth, Texas.

"It was a thrilling experience – overwhelming in every way," says Huang, a graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music. As a finalist, she receives $10,000 and concert tours and career management for three years.

Held every four years, the Van Cliburn competition is almost the musical equivalent of the Olympics. The keyboard athletes who participate must be in peak condition and must perform at the highest level to stay in the competition.

Huang was one of 270 hopefuls who applied, and among 146 then invited to audition. This group was narrowed to only 35 who were selected for the actual competition.

Each musician stayed with a host family in Fort Worth. The Steinway company shipped 40 pianos – one for each host family plus extra pianos for general use. And they certainly got a workout.

"I practiced so much every day that my hands really got sore," says Huang. "The last week, I probably practiced 10 hours a day."

The competition lasted for three weeks. In each round, the field was narrowed further. A dozen pianists were chosen as semifinalists, and just six made it to the final round. In all, the requirements included more than three hours of solo recitals, plus playing in a piano quintet. Then the finalists performed two full piano concertos with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra.

The finalists included two musicians from China, and others from Russia, Italy and Korea. Huang, a native of China, was the only finalist who now lives in the United States.

Their performances with the orchestra took place in the Bass Performing Arts Center. "It’s brand new, but it has an 18th-century feel," says Huang. "And acoustically, it’s one of the world’s best."

The finalists performed for an enthusiastic audience of 2,000. In the end, the first-place winner was Alexander Kobrin, of Russia.

"Just to take part in this famous competition is an honor," says Huang. "And then to go on to become a finalist is a very big accomplishment."

Her Curtis colleagues were equally thrilled with her success.

"This is going to help her career a great deal," says Curtis director Gary Graffman, who is also a pianist.

AFTER THE HIGH of the Van Cliburn competition, Huang returned to reality. "I came home and slept and slept," she admits. But then she was ready to gear up all over again and begin preparing for other concerts and recitals.

When she’s not on tour, Huang practices for three hours a day at home. On the road, the sessions can be even longer. Her busy schedule also includes commuting to New York for graduate music studies at the Juilliard School. When the new semester begins, Huang will be in her second year of a master’s program.

Several times a week, she boards a train for New York, bringing books, tapes and her computer. She cheerfully accepts the four-hour round-trip commute because it means she can continue to live in South Philly.

"Philadelphia is much less hectic than New York, where everyone’s always rushing. And I’m so comfortable living in South Philly," says Huang, who shares a house near the Italian Market with her parents.

She and her parents enjoy being in the heart of a growing Chinese community. "More and more Chinese live in South Philly," says Huang, noting that two large Chinese supermarkets are just one block away. Nearby, at Seventh and Washington, is a small shopping plaza where all the stores cater to Chinese customers, including a video rental with movies in Chinese.

An only child, Huang is also the only musician in the family. And music was the reason she came to the United States at age 15. Growing up in Shenyang, China, she began studying piano at age 7. By age 12, she was accepted on a full scholarship to the pre-college division of Shenyang Music Conservatory. There, she won first prize at the Chinese Prodigy Piano Competition in l994 – the first of many awards to come, both in China and the United States.

Huang also picked up the grand prize from the Southeastern Asia Piano Competition in Hong Kong and the same award in the California International Young Artists Competition.

She was encouraged to come to the United States when pianist Fernando Laires, head of the piano department of the Eastman School of Music in New York, taught a master class at Shenyang and heard her play.

"You should go to America," he urged, and wrote glowing recommendations.

AT AGE 15, Huang left China for California to study at the Idyllwild Arts Academy, a boarding school. Her parents did not accompany her because her father was in the military and couldn’t leave.

"I loved California and was ready to live there," Huang says.

But a friend and fellow musician from her hometown in China was then studying at Curtis. It was pianist Lang Lang, who is now a musical superstar and also based in South Philly, even though he is most often on tour all over the world.

Lang Lang urged her to come east. Huang took his advice and arranged an audition at Curtis. Just three days later, she was accepted. At age 16, she entered Curtis as the recipient of a merit-based full scholarship. Her parents then arranged to immigrate and the family settled in South Philly.

At Curtis, Huang studied with Claude Frank and graduated in 2004 with a bachelor of music degree. "I loved Curtis – it was a wonderful experience," she says. "And I still miss it."

In fact, it was her suggestion to meet at Curtis for this interview. As Huang is seated in a lounge area near the lobby, several people recognize her and come over to congratulate her for her Van Cliburn success.

The award-winning musician was a seasoned performer long before the Van Cliburn competition. She made her Carnegie Hall recital debut in 2003 and has given other recitals all over the United States and Europe.

Then, too, there was Huang’s 2004 China tour, on which she gave recitals in seven cities, including her hometown of Shenyang. Her first music teacher still lives there and, of course, she came to hear her illustrious student perform.

There are more recitals and soloist performances ahead. Huang’s career as a solo pianist requires considerable time on the road. But however far she travels, she insists that "South Philly is always going to be my home."

Meanwhile, Huang is getting ready for a music festival in Germany next month, and then for recitals and solo appearances next season. For her, every performance is a peak experience.

"I love communicating with an audience," Huang says. "You’re pouring your heart out, giving your own interpretation of the music. And when you play with all your heart – not just the notes but with your own deepest feelings – the audience feels it. And they give you their heart in return."