Tian Jiaxin: Bring China to the World with Music
Lighting Up Dreams with Music
Tian chose the Shenyang Conservatory of Music because of her respect and adoration for Professor Wei Danwen. “Professor Wei is the last student of the virtuoso pianist Vladimir Horowitz. I really wanted to learn with him,” she said. “Professor Wei opened a window to the international stage for me. He taught me to open my mind and cultivate an international viewpoint, which greatly affected my future development. Under his influence I decided to study abroad instead of pursuing postgraduate study in China,” said Tian.
Tian’s choice of a foreign music graduate school involves an interesting episode. “Normally students make contact far in advance with different teachers who they want to study with, and visit the different universities to expand the field of choice. But I didn’t contact any masters in order to save money. After the last test in New York, I flew back to China. It had never occurred to me that I would meet anyone special on the plane. While I was waiting for the bathroom, I started talking to a lady who was waiting with me. I found that she was a professor of violin at the Manhattan School of Music, where I had just taken the entrance exam,” Tian said. “What is more amazing is that after hearing I wanted to learn piano, she asked her husband to come. Her husband is Jeffrey Cohen, who is exactly the one I wanted to study with. Although many other schools sent offers and provided scholarships, I still chose the Manhattan School of Music because of that chance encounter on the plane. I think we were predestined to meet.”
Days of studying abroad were full and intense, with pain and sweat, but also joy and emotion. In three years, Tian earned two degrees – Master of Music and Professional Study, as well as many opportunities to perform with masters of international reputation, including Philippe Entremont, who has only worked with one other Chinese pianist. When she graduated in May 2013, Tian won the Harold Bauer Award, the highest honor at the Manhattan School of Music.
After receiving her master’s degree, Tian held her first recital at the Beijing Concert Hall. She played the Yellow River Piano Concerto and Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 20 in D minor K.466 respectively during the first half and the second half of the recital. Zhou Guangren, the famous Chinese music educator and pianist, who was over 80 years old, said that Tian had “revived” Mozart.
During the summer of 2012, Tian Jiaxin recorded her first album, Piano Music from the Heart, which was released in 2013. With good talent and unremitting efforts, Tian’s career advances.
Making People Like China
While pursuing her music dream, Tian has a credo: the East and the West must be fused. “My piano study in China laid down a good foundation, while travel abroad has made me a true pianist. I like to inject my personal understanding in performances. How to express the charm of classical music to audience is the question that is always on my mind,” said Tian. She believes that a true master must not only possess technique, but also transfer the cultural significance of the music.
“As a pianist on the international stage, I try my best to present Chinese culture to my audience, letting people understand and like China. In my two concerts in the U.S., I chose modernist pieces by Chinese composer Zhang Shuai. Zhang is a young composer whom I appreciate very much. My first album includes his works. I hope to cooperate with different Chinese musicians and present their works to the audience. I really want the world to see that China has many excellent musical works besides the traditional ones,” said Tian.
“I hope to show different aspects of China through my hard work. Maybe my individual power is insignificant, but I keep trying to present works of different areas and create more cross-border cooperation,” said Tian. To celebrate China through her piano performance is Tian’s biggest dream. She expects to hold more concerts and release albums that make people understand, like and remember China.
