ECU piano program shines with student success, world-class guests
Piano Studies in East Carolina University’s School of Music is having a moment, with award-winning students, a new piano academy, and piano festival guest artists including Richard Goode, a world-class pianist those in the know would drop everything to hear.
ECU sophomore Holden Burroughs practices piano during his weekly lesson with Associate Professor Kwan Yi.
Kwan Yi, associate professor of piano, called student success a collaboration, noting that, while he puts a lot of effort into student lessons each week, the students then spend countless hours in practice rooms refining their skills.
All current piano faculty are active performers, and Keiko Sekino, associate professor of piano and chair of keyboard studies, said those activities inform their teaching.
“We support our students in finding their path in music,” she said. “It is truly special to get to work with outstanding students who join our program. This is a great place for people to come together.”
The dedication has paid off for alumni who themselves have become faculty, performers, or otherwise work in and around the arts, and numerous current students.
ECU sophomore Holden Burroughs won the grand prize in last November’s Hampton Roads Philharmonic Young Artist Competition. He performed his competition piece, Beethoven’s 3rd Piano Concerto, at the HRP Young Artist Competition Showcase on March 9 in Hampton, Virginia.
“Before I even started at ECU, this was my favorite concerto, and I dreamed of being able to play it with an orchestra,” said Burroughs, a 19-year-old Greenville native. “Beethoven is one of my favorite composers because his music is deep with emotion and passion. I am not the type of person to show my emotions explicitly, but through music, I am able to express what I am truly feeling inside.
“This concerto reflects a whole range of emotions.”
Senior Ritchie Bui also won the HRP youth competition, in 2021, performing Mozart’s Piano Concerto in C, K. 415. He called the experience satisfying and englightening, and credits ECU with his progress.
“The piano program here has offered me experiences that shaped me into the musician I am today,” Bui said. “I can say that, compared to freshman year, I have grown a lot, not only as a musician but as a person as well.”
Burroughs shared a similar sentiment about ECU, focusing on the high caliber of the faculty and how that translates to the students.
“All the professors desire for the students to succeed and are always willing to help,” he said. “It is awesome that ECU has brought together such a collection of piano knowledge and allows us to work with each one of the professors.
“The small size of the program allows us to connect on a deeper level. This is important because things are not always easy, but you can always know that there are people there to support you.”
Burroughs got his start with ECU the summer before his first semester, during the East Carolina Piano Festival. Held annually, the festival offers an intensive educational experience for young pianists to work with ECU faculty and guest artists. Attendees then perform festival concerts for all to enjoy.
“My experience with it was amazing,” he said. “Playing for different people allowed me to learn a variety of approaches to different problems. As a result of the festival, I now have friends in the music world that I know I will see in the future.”
This year’s festival, June 21-29, will welcome a new group of guest artists to share that experience: Goode from the Peabody Conservatory; Sofya Gulyak from Indiana University; Meng-Chieh Liu from the Curtis Institute of Music and New England Conservatory; Yukiko Sekino from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and New England Conservatory Preparatory School; and Alan Woo from the University of Georgia.
Sekino said Goode’s insight and depth of performance make his presence this year an incredible opportunity.
“Certain artists become legends in their own time; I think he is one of them,” she said. “The opportunity to play in a masterclass for Mr. Goode is so rare and difficult to come by, and also to observe such classes; these are all truly extraordinary opportunities.”
In addition, ECU faculty members Yi, Sekino, and Samuel Gingher – themselves accomplished and award-winning pianists – will perform and participate.
This semester, Gingher is piloting one of the newest pieces of the piano program, the ECU Piano Academy, offering private weekly piano lessons to K-12 students and adults in the community. Graduate students instruct a handful of students so far.
Gingher said the academy is off to a “nice start,” and hopes to see more students sign up in the fall.
Sekino hopes the variety of resources offered by ECU’s piano program will keep reaching further into the community and region, finding those who are interested in both hearing and playing piano.
“We wish to extend the invitation for everyone in the community to join us for concerts and other events that are open to the public, often for free,” she said. “We especially hope to be a resource for young pianists coming up in our region.”