St. Pete Youth Gets Selected for Esteemed Piano Festival

Tampa FL

14 July, 2021

7:01 AM

Description

There comes a time in every musician's life that becomes a turning point, an opportunity that separates them from the aspiring to promising. Such is the case for local St. Pete, Florida's Marco Jimenez (hee-men-ez), age 18, who is among this year's selected applicants participating in Rebecca Penneys Piano Festival (RPPF), July 6-24, at the University of South Florida (USF) School of Music. Bringing together 36 of the world's aspiring collegiate pianists, Jimenez was selected from more than 100 applicants world-wide who applied to participate. Tuition for Jimenez and the other 35 selected students has been covered by Rebecca Penneys Friends of Piano, a non-profit 501c3 organization, supported entirely by private donations. The students are joined by 21 world-class faculty, who work closely with students over the 19-day festival, providing a semester's worth of private lessons, nightly masterclasses, special topic classes, faculty presentations, performance opportunities, and abundant practice time on Steinway pianos. "Our goal is to offer each student – and the world of piano -- a unique view of many different philosophies in teaching and performing styles," said Penneys. In addition to Jimenez, Klyde Ledamo, age 24, from Riverview, Fla., who just earned his Master of Music degree from Lynn University in Boca Raton, will be serving as an intern for RPPF and helping with various administration duties that are an integral part of the RPPF experience. Jimenez' Road to RPPFJimenez started out on the violin at age four before being drawn to the piano six months later. He studied under a couple of different teachers before switching to his current instructor, Mona MacPhail. "Mona's approach to music has contributed to my love of piano," said Jimenez. "She has a very holistic approach and way of interpreting music, including how to architect the story elements and relate them to the music's history as well as contemporary influences," Jimenez added. While piano is his priority, Jimenez still plays violin, including being a former concert master for the Sarasota Youth Orchestra. He also loves to compose music and has played competitive chess since age 13. He started his own podcast, featuring other young musicians and artists and how the arts have impacted their lives. He is passionate reader of literature and poetry as well as writing his own short stories and poetry. Jimenez shares some additional insights about his love of piano and what it means to him to be selected to participate in RPPF: Who inspired you to start playing piano?All I remember is that I just wanted to be around the piano, the love of playing it. Once I started to study with Mona it really took hold. If it were not for Mona, I would not have pursued it as seriously. Her approach is so informative and helpful.Any other mentors outside of Mona who have been influential in your life?Gila Goldstein, the Chair of the Piano Department at Boston University and the Director of the Young Artist Piano Program at Boston University Tanglewood Institute. I was fortunate to take some master classes with her and she made herself so available, answering questions, offering names of people to contact and other instructional tips and suggestions. She was truly inspirational. How did you hear about RPPF?I took a few master classes from Professor Penneys when I was 9 or 10. It was always my intention to apply. Is this the first year you applied?Yes, the first year. You have to be at least 18 years old. I have participated in other music festivals and the people I am closest to now are the ones I have met at one of these events. The time you spend playing, learning and sharing ideas and the after-hour conversations are so valuable and meaningful. What do you love most about playing?Communication. There is something so special about communicating and connecting music to the piano and to the audience. How to tell a story that is meaningful and moving. The beauty about music is there is no language barrier. There is this common core and ground that transcends everything. And how can I, as the artist, understand and appreciate and move someone in a deep emotionally way? What do you hope to get out of your RPPF experience?I am very excited to be at RPPF. I am friends with Junhao Wang, who participated in 2019, and he raved about it. He was really helpful in explaining the application process and how life changing it [RPPF] is. I have a great desire for self-improvement and that is what RPPF for me is all about. I would like to get a stronger sense of my musical deficiencies and be open minded to paradigm shifts and experiences I hadn't thought of before. Mostly, I am being a sponge to learn from all the luminaries from around the world, synthesizing ideas and helping me improve for years to come. What does your participation in RPPF mean to you?It is an incredibly meaningful experience; even on a small scale, Professor Penneys' instruction and feedback – both technical as well as musical -- have been very meaningful. I am honored to be able to study with her and other amazing students from around the world, as well as connect with older peers who can inspire me to reach new heights. RPPF brings the best of the best together and to be part of this experience is one of those once-in-a-lifetime dreams come true. Are you going to college?Yes. I am doing a cross-enrollment at Columbia and Julliard. I was very fortunate to receive a John Jay Scholarship from Columbia. What are your goals as a pianist? Continue making music and performing. Make a difference in people's lives. Most immediately, try to win some prizes and competitions, play as often and in as many locations as possible and also participate in more festivals around the world. My ultimate goal is to become a concert pianist and tour internationally. About Rebecca Penneys & RPPF A renowned Steinway Artist, Rebecca Penneys is a recitalist, chamber musician, orchestral soloist, educator, adjudicator, guest artist, keynote speaker and celebrated teacher. For over six decades she has been hailed as a pianist of prodigious talent, performing throughout the USA, East Asia, New Zealand, South America, Europe, Middle East and Canada. She represented the United States in United States Information Service State Department Cultural tours over a ten-year period. Her current and former students include prizewinners in international competitions and hold important teaching posts on every continent. In 2013, Penneys launched the non-profit Rebecca Penneys Friends of Piano to support the Rebecca Penneys Piano Festival and RPPF-Mini. Both events, held at USF, are for collegiate pianists and are tuition free. Penneys is currently Professor Emerita of Piano at Eastman School of Music, Artist-in-Residence at St. Petersburg College where she runs the SPC Piano Series and holds a Courtesy-Steinway-Artist-in-Residence position at the University of South Florida, Tampa. Her many CDs and DVDs are available on Amazon. Fanfare magazine (2019) notes,"Penneys playing is nothing short of amazing." Penneys teachers included Aube Tzerko, Leonard Stein, Rosina Lhevinne, Artur Rubinstein, Menahem Pressler, Gyorgy Sebok, Janos Starker, Josef Gingold, and Iannis Xenakis. More information: Visit www.rebeccapenneys.com and www.rebeccapenneyspianofestival.com. Narrative, interpretations and performances can also be found on RebeccaPenneysYouTube channel. Her new book, "Chicken Soup for Pianists," is also available for free via Kindle and ibooks. For more information on supporting RPPF and Rebecca Penneys Friends of Piano https://rebeccapenneyspianofestival.org/support-contact/