Peta Stewart
The Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra celebrates Youth Day early in two ways on 15 June, 2023: by showcasing the Cape Town Philharmonic Youth Orchestra in a side-by-side concert with the CPO, and by engaging one of South Africa’s youngest brilliant artists as its soloist.
Mike Zi Ning Wang, aged 16, will perform the Second Piano Concerto by Rachmaninov with the CPO on Thursday, 15 June at 7.30pm in the Cape Town City Hall. The concert is generously sponsored by the City of Cape Town.
Louis Heyneman, CEO of the CPO, gives the reason why Mike was engaged as a soloist. “Mike has always impressed me since he, as a 10-year-old, took part in a masterclass with the pianist Valentina Lisitsa way back in 2017 at Artscape. His technical virtuosity and musical maturity were then already impressive. His overall win in the National Youth Music Competition last year confirmed my gut feel that offering him a performance with the CPO in a symphony season was not premature because his prodigious talent, his approach to music and his consummate technical skills which allow him to tackle a concerto that many older and more experienced pianists just dream of.”
Very rewarding
Arjan Tien will be on the podium, directing the CPO and CPYO in Dvorak’s Eighth Slavonic Dance, and concluding the concert with Bartok’s Concerto for Orchestra, a symphonic showcase that focuses on each section and allows them to shine.
For Mike, performing this concerto is very exciting, and Rachmaninov is not new to him, as he has performed many of his Etudes-Tableaux and even the third movement of this concerto with the CPO in the final round of last year’s National Youth Music Competition, which he won.
“Having the opportunity to perform the full concerto is a dream come true for me. I feel extremely excited for this performance, and it is also a motivation for me to improve my pianistic skills, gain more performance experience and broaden my repertoire. It’s one of the most famous and beloved Piano Concertos. This makes performing it extra challenging, since I want to bring out my own individuality and my interpretation of the music and express my own feelings. It is extremely important to really dig into the score and try not to be influenced too much by any previous recordings. Performing his Etudes helped me quite a lot with the technical and musical demands of the concerto.”
There’s another challenge too, in that Rachmaninov, an outstanding pianist, had “large hands which were able to span further than those of most pianists” he says.
“But Rachmaninov’s work is so rich with colour, and the musicality makes such sense to me, that I feel I can relate to the musical material. It is very rewarding to perform his works.”
Experience of a lifetime
Mike feels honoured to be performing with the CPO in a symphony series. “For a young, upcoming pianist to be granted such an opportunity to perform on a professional platform is really the experience of a lifetime.”
Mike, a Grade 11 learner at Paarl Boys High School (30 of his schoolmates and teachers have bought tickets for the concert), has been studying piano with Mario Nell at the Konservatorium at the University of Stellenbosch since he moved to South Africa, at the age of eight, and began winning competitions from the age of 10.
“Prof Nell has always been a very positive and important influence in my life. He has always guided me in terms of my musical understanding and development and never forced me in a certain way. He is more than just a music teacher to me – he also gives me guidance in life. I am very grateful for everything he has done for me.”
Greatest musical influence
Mike also credits his mother as being the first and perhaps greatest musical influence in his life. “She has always had an immense love of music but never studied it, to her regret. She made sure I had lessons at the age of five and remains my biggest supporter.”
His mother also often takes him to and from lessons and both parents attend all his performances. “My real passion started to grow when we arrived in South Africa. Winning the SAMRO Hubert Van Der Spuy National Music Competition when I was 10 made me realise that I wanted piano to be my career. Each year I become even more motivated to follow this path. I hope to study music at university and become a concert pianist.”
Mike is unusual in many ways, and not the least for the fact that he actually doesn’t care if his name is up in lights or not. “I just want to share music with more and more people and let them appreciate classical music.”
He has won numerous competitions and awards, often as the youngest entrant – from the Hubert van der Spuy National Music Competition, to the Hennie Joubert National Piano Competition, the Johann Vos Piano Competition as well as the Pieter Kooij Music Competition.
“Entering competitions has served me well. It provides some good opportunities to perform and can create great rewarding experiences. They also support one’s career by bringing new performance opportunities. I have played several times with the CPO over the years, but this is the first time I am playing in the main symphony series.”
Being a pianist comes with more than hard work – it also means that your life is not as normal as that of other young people of the same age, for obvious reasons. “I don’t play any physical sports since it can increase the risk of injury to my fingers. I mostly just use my free time to keep a balance between piano and my social life. Things like talking to friends, playing some games or watching some videos on YouTube. I do play chess for my school’s team, I play percussion in the school orchestra, and I also enjoy reading.”
Who: Pianist Mike Zi Ning Wang, Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra; Arjan Tien on podium
What: Winter Symphonies at Cape Town City Hall
When: 15 June 2023, 7.30pm; pre-concert talk 6.45pm; open dress rehearsal 11am
Tickets: Artscape Dial-a-Seat 021 421 7695, Computicket; dress rehearsal Quicket
WS
