sbrobert
By Robert Bernstein
On our way to the Independence Day fireworks, we encountered the Piano Boys Zeyn and Rhyan Shweyk performing on lower State Street. Performing with dazzling skill, that is.
They were so happy for my Edhat article, they invited us to see them perform at the Music Academy of the West MERIT Youth Recital on August 3 at Noon.
But then I did a double-take. I asked if perhaps this was a mistake? That is the exact same time as the main parade of Fiesta. El Desfile Histórico. Their reply: “We’ve never attended the Fiesta parade, so it might be that it is at the same time.”
Those are serious musicians! So, we skipped the Fiesta parade to attend the MERIT recital.
Here are all of my photos and videos.
I have bicycled to the Music Academy of the West many times. But this was the first time I had to drive there. So, I allowed a bit of extra time to find my way. It is a bit confusing by car. The concert was in Lehmann Hall which is not shown on the Music Academy web site.
From the parking lot with a spectacular mountain view…
We made our way past some beautiful buildings
Down a corridor with these lovely flowers
To find Lehmann Hall
Mr Shweyk (R) is the father of The Piano Boys and he greeted us warmly
He even invited me to take his front row corner seat to get a better view for photos and videos!
Then came introductions by the Music Academy
And then the recital began
With my level of musical sophistication, I could not tell the difference between this performance by these talented teens and the best performances I have heard at the Granada. As far as I could tell, they performed flawlessly and with great expression!
The first performance was Mozart Divertimento in B-flat Major, K. 254:
Hiro Yoshimura – Violin
Ethan La Chapelle – Cello
Rhyan Shweyk – Piano
Here is my video of the Allegro assai movement
Next was Haydn Trio No 39 in G Major, Hob XV:25 Gypsy:
Zephan Bornfreund – Violin
Leila Elkurjie – Cello
Grace Hu – Piano
Here is my video of the Presto movement
Third up was Beethoven Trio in E-Flat Major, Op.1, No. 1:
Felix Fein – Violin
Sabrina Kim – Cello
Zeyn Shweyk – Piano
Here is my video of the Allegro movement
Violinist Felix Fein has a most impressive resume already at the age of 14. According to the program, he is a member of the Villa Sinfonia Chamber Orchestra in San Francisco. This has given him the opportunity to play at Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, La Madeleine in Paris, St Stephen’s Basilica in Budpest and at the Haydnsaal at Esterházy Palace in Austria.
Did I mention he is 14 years old?
The final piece was Mendelssohn: Trio No. 1 in D Minor, Op 29:
Derrick Seo – Violin
Zellie Owen – Cello
Davis Reinhart – Piano
No offense to the Fiesta organizers, but we had no regrets about attending this performance instead of Fiesta! I am sure we can look forward to future performances on the world stage by these talented young musicians!
