Chandler Student Kylie Shea Smith Selected to Perform at the 2018 Yamaha International Junior Original Concert in Tokyo
CHANDLER, Ariz. (PRWEB) August 20, 2018 -- Thirteen-year old pianist Kylie Shea Smith of Chandler, Arizona, a student at East Valley Yamaha Music in Chandler will perform at the 47th annual Yamaha International Junior Concert (IJOC).
Kylie was the lone U.S. representative selected to perform at the prestigious Tokyo concert, which also included 11 other artists chosen from around the world. This marks her second invitation to perform at the IJOC, with her first being 2014.
Held on August 29 at the Yamaha Hall in Tokyo, the international musicians, who range in age from eight to 15, will showcase new compositions in a variety of settings, from piano solos to chamber and larger ensembles.
The young Chandler artist will perform “In Memory of Rocky,” a musical ode to honor the memory of her Godparents’ dog. The composition is written for piano and euphonium. Her euphoniumist will be Mr. Brian C. Wilson, also from Chandler, Arizona.
The IJOC offers students of the worldwide Yamaha Music Education System the opportunity to unlock their full musical potential by composing original pieces and debuting them in front of enthusiastic audiences. This year’s participants come from China, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico and the United States.
Kylie started learning piano just before she turned four years old at East Valley Yamaha Music School. She graduated from the Junior Music Course and is currently in the Junior Special Advanced Course Program.
“No matter where the future takes me, I will always continue with my music and creative writing,” says Kylie. “In my composition, I tried to capture the prominent moments of Rocky’s life, including when he was a puppy, when he got sick and his eventual passing.”
The Yamaha Music Education System is based in music schools and musical instrument dealers in 40 countries worldwide. In the United States, more than 60 schools nationwide are authorized to teach the Yamaha method. Since its inception in 1954, more than six million students have graduated from the program and many of them have become professional musicians, including Hiromi Uehara, Max Levinson, Keiko Matsui and Jeremy Siskind. Each year, Yamaha Music Education music school students compose around 35,000 original pieces to be submitted into various performances from the classroom level up to national, regional and international levels.
The Yamaha Music Foundation in Tokyo produces, publishes and distributes music education materials throughout the world. The comprehensive system developed by Yamaha helps students reach a high level of ability not only as performers, but also as improvisers and composers.
To learn more about the Yamaha Junior Original Concert, visit http://4wrd.it/usajoc18
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About Yamaha
Yamaha Corporation of America (YCA) is one of the largest subsidiaries of Yamaha Corporation, Japan and offers a full line of award-winning musical instruments, sound reinforcement, commercial installation and home entertainment products to the U.S. market. Products include: Yamaha acoustic, digital and hybrid pianos, portable keyboards, guitars, acoustic and electronic drums, band and orchestral instruments, marching percussion products, synthesizers, professional digital and analog audio equipment, Steinberg recording products and NEXO commercial audio products, as well as AV receivers, amplifiers, MusicCast wireless multiroom audio systems, Blu-ray/CD players, earphones, headphones, home-theater-in-a-box systems, sound bars and its exclusive line of Digital Sound Projectors. YCA markets innovative, finely crafted technology and entertainment products and musical instruments targeted to the hobbyist, education, worship, music, professional audio installation and consumer markets.
Contact: Peter Giles/Giles Communications
(914) 644-3500 ext. 700 ([email protected])
Peter Giles, GILES COMMUNICATIONS, (914) 798-7120 x 700, [email protected]
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