13 October 2021
Miss Ruth Wang, Coordinator of Instrumental Music
It was a memorable day last Saturday 9 October when some of Woldingham's musicians spent the day with one of the world's finest orchestras, the London Mozart Players. They also had the privilege of meeting 14-year-old star soloist Leia Zhu. Her inspirational talent and energy certainly left a mark on our musicians, as music scholar Joyce describes below.
Joyce, Lower Sixth
My fellow music classmates and I went to an open rehearsal and concert performed by violinist Leia Zhu with the London Mozart Players in Fairfield Halls, Croydon. Attending their open rehearsal was a fruitful experience as we were able to learn how professional orchestras pay attention to all the details written and witness the effort every musician put into rehearsing the pieces.
The concert started with Mozart’s Overture to The Magic Flute, one of the most well-known operas, showcasing the delicate melodies of the Classical Period. This was followed by Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto in D major, played by Leia, a very challenging piece in terms of technique and musicality. Nevertheless, Leia played the entire concerto perfectly and we were all extremely amazed by her exceptional performance. The concert ended with Beethoven's Symphony No. 8 in F major, revealing the expanded power and range of musical inventions Beethoven brought to this piece.
One of the day’s highlights was the opportunity we had to chat to Leia. It was fascinating to learn how she has such a prolific performance career at such a young age. This trip was a truly remarkable experience as it is so important for us as musicians to expand our listening repertoire to improve our musicianship.