Tian Jiaxin: Bring China to the World with Music

“Philippe often travels around the world for performances. When the occasion permits, he meets me and gives me lessons. In October of 2013 he came to New York for a concert, and taught me for a whole afternoon,” Tian recalled. “He sat with me and shared his views on musical works. He also showed me how he would play the concerto. The lesson was significant for me, because I was preparing for my performance at the Lincoln Center. That performance, together with my concert in Carnegie Hall, was part of the ‘Happy Spring Festival’ activity held by the Chinese Ministry of Culture. Thanks to the relationship I built with the Ministry of Culture, this time I got the chance to perform with my master in the ‘French Spirit’ concert,” said Tian.

Tian Jiaxin with French pianist and conductor Philippe Entremont at the “French Spirit” concert.

Strenuous Efforts

Tian began to learn piano at the age of three with Professor Huang Peiying at the Central Conservatory of Music. As she prepared to take the university entrance examination, she also studied piano under Ms. Luo Fang of the Central Conservatory of Music. Tian passed the entrance examination with good results to enter the Shenyang Conservatory of Music, where she continued her study with Professor Wei Danwen.

Tian bears a deep respect for every teacher that has helped and instructed her. “Everyone of them has played a crucial role in different stages of my life. I visit them every time I go back to China. Without their help I could never have achieved success today,” said Tian.

Tian considers herself to be born with the passion for music. Fond of piano since childhood, she would practice voluntarily. “I was different from the children who play piano because their parents made them. I truly love piano with all my heart. My parents are the ones who had the greatest influence on my personality. My mother was a soprano and my father was a composer. So my childhood was immersed in music. When I was small, my father took me to piano lessons by bike. The tuition of RMB 200 per hour was a lot back then,” said Tian.

Behind every success are painstaking efforts unimaginable to most people. After finishing elementary school, Tian’s parents decided that Tian should continue her studies in a middle school instead of a musical conservatory. “Despite the heavy curriculum, I never gave up playing piano. Every day I tried to finish my homework at school so that I could practice piano in the evening after I got home. I practiced until the neighbors fell asleep. Because I wouldn’t waste a single minute of piano practice I often had dinner at 9 or 10 pm, and then I took care of my school work,” said Tian.

Although Tian was finally admitted into the Shen-yang Conservatory of Music, the process didn’t go smoothly. Two months before the final exam, her hands were injured. “For a while after I got hurt I could not play the piano. But one thing happened later that decided me to give it a try. On January 17, 2006, my parents and I went to Lang Lang’s concert at the Great Hall of the People. I wondered why Lang Lang was so successful and why I hurt my fingers when I decided to pursue my music dream. I told myself I had to play piano. So on the next day after I returned from school, I bandaged my fingers and tried to practice. I said to myself: ‘I can’t miss the final exam in February.’ So I resumed practicing and kept encouraging myself. My doctor also helped me recover quickly,” Tian recalled. Relying on her unyielding will, Tian passed the exam.