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Young Pianist'S Love Of Music And Dedication Put Her On Path To Succ

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  • Young Pianist'S Love Of Music And Dedication Put Her On Path To Succ

    YOUNG PIANIST'S LOVE OF MUSIC AND DEDICATION PUT HER ON PATH TO SUCCESS

    http://www.mirrorspectator.com/2012/12/06/young-pianists-love-of-music-and-dedication-put-her-on-path-to-success/
    ARTS | DECEMBER 6, 2012 9:59 AM

    By Serena Hajjar

    Special to the Mirror-Spectator

    MONTREAL - At age 17, Alina Israilian has already accomplished what
    most serious pianists only dream of: playing at Carnegie Hall -
    at age 11, no less.

    "It was everything I'd dreamed of in one place," she recalled.

    In addition, she has been a recipient of the McGill Conservatory
    Vera Black Scholarship for the last two years. Yet despite these
    accomplishments, Israilian's warm, welcoming smile and jovial demeanor
    have not changed.

    Born in Toronto and raised in Laval, Montreal, Israilian attended
    her first piano lesson at the age of 4, under the direction of
    Tina Kakabedze. In 2003, at 7, she participated in her first piano
    competition; two years later, she won the second place prize in the
    9-year-old category at the Canada Music Competition. At the 2006 World
    Piano Competition in Cincinnati, she placed second, and was awarded
    the prize to play at Carnegie Hall. "It was very exciting. I don't
    think I was aware that I was playing at Carnegie Hall, but now that
    I look back, it's, 'Oh my God, I played there,'" she recalls.

    To top it all off, she has taken some master classes from renowned
    pianist Anton Kuerti and Prof. Marc Durand.

    Israilian's musical heroes are pianists Vladimir Ashkenazy, Martha
    Argerich and Jan Lisiecki. She enjoys playing pieces from the Romantic
    Era, and says that she recently "started to expand my view on classical
    music, from the Classical period" after playing Beethoven's Third
    Piano Concerto. While her favorite piece to play is Chopin's Etude
    No. 3, she noted she would love to learn Brahms' First Piano Concerto.

    Israilian says her parents are her inspiration, acknowledging the
    invaluable role they have played in her career. "They encourage me a
    lot. They're great supporters. They just love music," she says. "We
    attend concerts together, we share opinions on concerts, everything."

    She says her father often reminds her to live in the moment and take
    advantage of the time she has now: "When there's an opportunity, I
    have to open my eyes...if I really want something, I should go get it."

    Israilian hopes to inspire young musicians to commit to their goals
    and remain optimistic. She adds more to the generic response of "try
    your hardest and dream big." She advises those seeking a career in
    music to "always practice. After the practice there's always something
    good that comes out. ... If they work hard when they're young, when
    they're older they can look back and they'll live the life they always
    wanted." In fact, she cites an anecdote from her own experience to
    prove how much she values practicing. While preparing for the Canadian
    Music Competition, Israilian, who was 12 at the time, began feeling
    pain in her hands from playing the big chords in Rachmaninoff's Second
    Piano Concerto. After a visit to the doctor, Israilian was forced to
    change her piece, with only two months left before the competition.

    During that time, Israilian practiced diligently. "I was determined,
    I was motivated, and I got the piece, it was ready... I played it at
    the competition and I really liked my performance. That just proved
    that if I practice and if I set my mind to something, I could really
    get some good results. And anything is possible if you practice

    hard," she said. A recent graduate of Ecole Internationale (high
    school) in Laval, Israilian is currently pursuing a double major
    in university. She studies music at the Conservatoire de Musique
    de Montreal under the guidance of Andre Laplante and business at
    Marianopolis - an odd combination indeed. Israilian is not interested
    solely in the performance aspect of being a pianist. She is curious
    about the "behind-the-scenes" portion of staging a concert, and
    believes a business degree will enable her to do her own marketing
    and managing. Although the business studies are usually completed in
    two years, Israilian has opted to spend three years on the program
    "so that I can focus more on music."

    When she is not at the piano - she anticipates spending up to 5 hours
    a day practicing this year - Israilian enjoys traveling, hiking and
    reading. She windsurfs, too, when on vacation in a tropical island. On
    top of that, she plays another instrument - a vocal one. She sings
    in the Nor Dzaghig (New Flower) Armenian choir.

    Israilian has also been a member of the Garni Armenian dance group
    for the past five years.

    For Israilian, the best part of being a pianist is playing both solo
    and with an orchestra. "When I play with the orchestra, I feel like
    I'm guiding this music and there are 40, 50 musicians following my
    lead...Playing solo, I get into my own bubble, my own world ... and
    make the best music I can. I just love it." She only wishes that more
    people would appreciate the beauty of classical music. "I just find
    it too bad, you know. It's a great thing, classical music."

    Israilian plans to participate in more competitions this coming year,
    including international ones. She hopes to have the opportunity to play
    at a concert with her younger sisters, who play the piano and violin.

    In the meantime, Israilian is living by the wise words of her father.

    "I'm never going to be, say, 17 again. I have to take advantage of
    the time I have now. It's a great age; I can accomplish a lot."




    From: A. Papazian
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