LaSalle student has fingers on musical success

But, occasionally, a person comes along who is gifted with innate musical talent, one whose distinguished skills and extraordinary promise demand attention simply because of their magnitude. Many people who know Wei-Jen Yuan of Troy believe that he is one of those rare individuals.

On April 25 at 8 p.m., the senior from LaSalle Institute in Troy will perform Tchaikovsky's "Piano Concerto No. 1" with the Schenectady Symphony Orchestra at Proctor's Theatre. He is no stranger to that stage: This will be his fourth performance with the symphony in the past five years.

Music man

To him, studying music enhances everything he talks and thinks about, but he insists that talent is not necessarily the force behind his success. Rather, it is "99 percent toil and 1 percent luck."

He performed his first piano recital at Troy's RPI Chapel Cultural Center when he was ten. He has also performed at the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall, Memorial Chapel at Union College, Schenectady County Community College and Emma Willard.

For two seasons, he was the orchestral pianist with the Empire State Youth Orchestra and performed with them in concerts at Carnegie Hall in New York and Ozawa Hall at Tanglewood. He is the two-time winner of the New York State Baldwin Junior High Piano competition and recently captured first place in the Haddenfield Symphony Concerto competition in New Jersey, beating more than 200 other musicians from 13 New England states. The win provided him an opportunity to perform with the Haddenfield Symphony Orchestra last month.

Hard work

"I study at the Juilliard School of Music and also at Lincoln Center," he said. "Right now, I'm studying music theory and solfege."

Solfege helps the musician to develop an "ear" for the music he is playing, to recognize the correct pitch and rhythm at an intricate level.

"The ear is the most important thing in music," he said. "A musician has to learn how to listen to himself. When you play an instrument, you hear the music that is in your head. But that may not necessarily be what the audience hears. In different music halls, there are different acoustics, so one must be able to 'step back' and hear what one is actually playing."

Advanced study

According to Mr. Yuan, the group participation helps him "prepare for any upcoming performances," to get a feel for what it is like performing with others. He said that is something "vitally important if you are to perform with an orchestra."

He has also had the opportunity to learn conducting and the analysis of orchestral scores, as well as doing a "bit of composing."

Wise words

"We all have an emotional bank within us. In our teenage years, we are depositing life's experiences into that bank," Mr. Yuan quoted. "Once a person begins concertizing, he or she draws from that emotional bank, withdrawing rather than depositing life experiences. Once the bank has been depleted, there is nothing left."

Words to live by, according to Mr. Yuan, who says he is careful not to withdraw too much of his experience from the bank. He performs locally "several times a year" but also maintains a busy school and activity schedule at LaSalle, where he is an honors student.

"I used to play baseball but had to give it up. Now I play tennis and take aerobics," he said. He also plays the French horn, tuba, percussion instruments and organ. He is a member of the jazz band, marching band and concert band at school. Once in a while, he gets together with friends to practice in their rock band, where he plays the guitar.

Taiwan to here

If he had stayed in his native country, he feels that he probably would not have had the opportunity to learn as much as he has in the U.S. According to him, there is "little diversity or room for creativity there" regarding musical expression and talent, adding that concentration on education and study is more the norm.

"My parents have given up a lot so I can study music," he noted. "They are the biggest critics of my work, but they are also my biggest supporters. I have a lot to be grateful for."

(Tickets for Mr. Yuan's performance are $20 for adults and $10 for students. To order, call the box office at Proctor's Theatre, 346-6204.)

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