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My name is Grace Feng, and I’m a pianist, a photographer, and a writer.
I grew up with classical music. When I was two, I drifted to sleep listening to Mozart’s ‘Ah! Vous Dirai-je, Maman’. When I was three, I learned scales humming to The Sound of Music’s ‘Do-Re-Mi’ while pressing down random keys on a piano. I started opera singing when I was six and the viola when I was eight. Music has always been such a strong presence in my life, and it has been my life’s mission to return and spread the affection through my performances.
They say that readers live a thousand lives – so do classical musicians! After all, we really are just narrators of someone else’s story; we simply add a twist of our own experiences and personality into our performances. When I compete, it's always those personal stories and memories I reach for that allow my music to sing and resonate with audiences.
While traversing the U.S, Europe, and Asia for competitions and festival performances, I picked up digital and film photography to capture my astonishing experiences of meeting host-families, artists, and audiences while exploring new places. Interestingly enough, I would take more pictures of exotic flowers than all my other photographs combined. With a single European Oleander, I took over a hundred shots (can you believe it?), from an ant's perspective to a bird’s eye view, scouring for miniscule details my DSLR lens could focus on; a droplet of dew right after it rained, a bee hovering over a flower petal, you name it.
Through these meticulous practices, photography became an everyday passion. It’s not only a way of capturing my ventures abroad, but also my time at school and at home. Whenever my photos are displayed at Folsom High School’s graduation galleries and art shows alongside my peers, I’m proudly reminded that my camera has given me a place at school that I can call home, too.
Just like how I love to share my compassion for art and the little things in life with digital artists and viewers through my photographs, piano allows me to connect with musicians in my community. As founding members of the Pacific Institute of Music: Student Music Advocacy Group (PIOM SMAG), we aspire to bring classical music to the community through a series of fundraising /community concerts and theory/instrumental tutoring for young students. Our musician-led PR and Editorial team work to publish newsletters that spread our passion for classical music beyond Folsom.
Being a competitive musician for a decade-and-a-half, I understand how difficult it is to put yourself out there. There were times where I wished for a safe, ‘competition-less’ environment to interact and learn from my peers, which is why my life’s mission is to help young musicians, artists, and students, regardless of their background, knowledge, or art medium, find their voice in their art.
Like Auguste Rodin once said, “The goal of life is rapture. Art is the way we experience it.”
Art is the transforming experience.
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