Connor
I was born in North Carolina in 2003 and moved to Pleasanton when I was 8 years old. As some of you may know, my mom is also a piano teacher and both my parents majored in music. That always brings up the question “why don’t you take lessons from your mom?” to which I answer “it’s good to hear a different perspective.” But in reality, I just couldn’t take those lessons seriously after a few years. I’m glad that is the case though because I couldn’t have asked for a better teacher than Mrs. Chen. I still remember my first lesson when she kept criticizing me for playing too quietly, then in the coming weeks I saw a huge improvement just by playing louder. Since then, I knew she was the right teacher for me, and I actually started looking forward to my piano lessons rather than dreading them. In the last 7 years, she has helped me make several major accomplishments. To name a few: I earned second place in a large USOMC solo piano competition (2017), completed the advanced level of CM (2019), and won the first place prize at an Alameda East piano competition (also 2019). Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to do as much this year for obvious reasons. In terms of motivation, these last several months have been devastating for me. My grades dropped lower than they ever had before, and I’m sure Mrs. Chen could tell that I haven’t been practicing as much as I should. On the bright side, I get to leave all of that behind me when I move to UCSD this fall! I was admitted as undeclared, but I plan to go into either the computer science or cognitive science major. I’m hoping that being in a brand new environment on a beautiful, beach-side campus will boost my motivation and help me get through these tough times. With that said, I’m very grateful for everything Mrs. Chen has done to help me get to this point, and I will cherish all the fun and not-so-fun moments we had along the way. Thanks for everything!
I was born in North Carolina in 2003 and moved to Pleasanton when I was 8 years old. As some of you may know, my mom is also a piano teacher and both my parents majored in music. That always brings up the question “why don’t you take lessons from your mom?” to which I answer “it’s good to hear a different perspective.” But in reality, I just couldn’t take those lessons seriously after a few years. I’m glad that is the case though because I couldn’t have asked for a better teacher than Mrs. Chen. I still remember my first lesson when she kept criticizing me for playing too quietly, then in the coming weeks I saw a huge improvement just by playing louder. Since then, I knew she was the right teacher for me, and I actually started looking forward to my piano lessons rather than dreading them. In the last 7 years, she has helped me make several major accomplishments. To name a few: I earned second place in a large USOMC solo piano competition (2017), completed the advanced level of CM (2019), and won the first place prize at an Alameda East piano competition (also 2019). Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to do as much this year for obvious reasons. In terms of motivation, these last several months have been devastating for me. My grades dropped lower than they ever had before, and I’m sure Mrs. Chen could tell that I haven’t been practicing as much as I should. On the bright side, I get to leave all of that behind me when I move to UCSD this fall! I was admitted as undeclared, but I plan to go into either the computer science or cognitive science major. I’m hoping that being in a brand new environment on a beautiful, beach-side campus will boost my motivation and help me get through these tough times. With that said, I’m very grateful for everything Mrs. Chen has done to help me get to this point, and I will cherish all the fun and not-so-fun moments we had along the way. Thanks for everything!
Janine first began playing piano under Dr. Chen at 6 years old. In 2014, she received her first award for piano, a second place award in the US Open Music Competition for her first concerto, Haydn’s Piano Concerto No. 11 in D major. Since then, she has won numerous awards for piano in competitions including the Junior Bach Festival, East Bay Music Competition, MTAC State Piano Solo Competition, US International Music Competition, Sturm-Page and more. Most recently, she was invited to perform in Carnegie Hall as a winner for American Protégé. In addition to competitions, she has also completed the MTAC Certificate of Merit program with honors, being selected to perform at the MTAC CM Honors Recital.
Janine has also enjoyed and learned a lot during her time in Music For You. She especially relishes the yearly holiday concerts in senior homes where seniors join the studio to celebrate the holidays and celebrate the season’s joy as well as the Music For Junior Artists art contest where she was able to see so many beautiful pieces of art created by young artists all over the world. Most of all, Janine has been very grateful that she was able to spread the wonders of music whether it was in a downtown with curious passerby or in a church hall fundraising for organizations.
This year, Janine is graduating from Monte Vista High School. Outside of school, Janine is an active Mathcounts mentor and an active participant of the Contra Costa County Science and
Engineering Fair where she won 1st place and was a finalist for the California Science and Engineering Fair in 2020. She is also an active volunteer for the Danville library and a member
of the Danville Teen Advisory Board.
In her leisurely time, Janine enjoys drawing, dancing, baking, and occasionally replicating Michelin style cuisines. In fact, this past year alone, she has made nearly 20 cakes ranging from
a dashing red velvet, a crêpe cake, a swiss roll cake, to a strawberry mirror cake. She also enjoys watching MasterChef and perusing through a French Laundry cookbook. As for drawing, she has recently taken up drawing chickens, in hopes that she will be able to get a pet chicken.
Janine has also enjoyed and learned a lot during her time in Music For You. She especially relishes the yearly holiday concerts in senior homes where seniors join the studio to celebrate the holidays and celebrate the season’s joy as well as the Music For Junior Artists art contest where she was able to see so many beautiful pieces of art created by young artists all over the world. Most of all, Janine has been very grateful that she was able to spread the wonders of music whether it was in a downtown with curious passerby or in a church hall fundraising for organizations.
This year, Janine is graduating from Monte Vista High School. Outside of school, Janine is an active Mathcounts mentor and an active participant of the Contra Costa County Science and
Engineering Fair where she won 1st place and was a finalist for the California Science and Engineering Fair in 2020. She is also an active volunteer for the Danville library and a member
of the Danville Teen Advisory Board.
In her leisurely time, Janine enjoys drawing, dancing, baking, and occasionally replicating Michelin style cuisines. In fact, this past year alone, she has made nearly 20 cakes ranging from
a dashing red velvet, a crêpe cake, a swiss roll cake, to a strawberry mirror cake. She also enjoys watching MasterChef and perusing through a French Laundry cookbook. As for drawing, she has recently taken up drawing chickens, in hopes that she will be able to get a pet chicken.
RECITAL PROGRAM
@ 5:00 PM
Scherzo No. 4, Op. 54 in E (1842) by F. Chopin
Connor
12 Variations on "Ah, vous dirai-je maman" (1782) by W. A. Mozart
Theme~ Rebecca
Variation I~Kailua
Variation II~Richard
Variation III~Karina
Variation IV~Emerson
Variation V~Maxwell
Variation VI~Julian
Variation VII~Grace
Variation VIII~Janine
Variation IX~Eugene
Variation X~Wilmer
Variation XI~Simon
Variation XII~Fiona
Ballade No. 4, Op. 52 in f (1842), by F. Chopin
Janine
Sonata for Piano and Violin in Bb, K. 378 (1779), I. Allegro moderato by W. A. Mozart
Connor & Benjamin
@ 5:00 PM
Scherzo No. 4, Op. 54 in E (1842) by F. Chopin
Connor
12 Variations on "Ah, vous dirai-je maman" (1782) by W. A. Mozart
Theme~ Rebecca
Variation I~Kailua
Variation II~Richard
Variation III~Karina
Variation IV~Emerson
Variation V~Maxwell
Variation VI~Julian
Variation VII~Grace
Variation VIII~Janine
Variation IX~Eugene
Variation X~Wilmer
Variation XI~Simon
Variation XII~Fiona
Ballade No. 4, Op. 52 in f (1842), by F. Chopin
Janine
Sonata for Piano and Violin in Bb, K. 378 (1779), I. Allegro moderato by W. A. Mozart
Connor & Benjamin