Pianist Hopes To Hit The Right Notes With Jury During Cliburn Audition

Arlington TX

11 March, 2022

5:59 PM

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By Marcheta Fornoff, Fort Worth Report March 11, 2022 When you only have 25 minutes to show the jury you deserve to perform at the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, music selection is key, but deciding what to play was easy for So Hyang In. The 30-year-old from Korea immediately knew she wanted to perform a piece from Frédéric Chopin, her favorite composer. "The piece just makes me more passionate," In explained. "It makes me want to express more and feel free. That's why I enjoy playing it." In the Cliburn auditions, performers get to curate the music they'll perform on stage. Anton Nel, who sits on the jury, enjoys the variety of music that the artists select. "I think it's a great opportunity for them to play to their strengths," Nel said. "I'm assuming that that is what they're doing because when you only have 25 minutes, I think every second counts — not every minute, but every second." After landing on Chopin, In chose Joseph Haydn's "Sonata in C Major, Hob. XVI: 48" because she thought they would blend well together. She described having an out-of-body experience playing them on stage. To read the full article, click here. Fort Worth Report is a nonpartisan, nonprofit news organization that produces factual, in-depth journalism about city and county government, schools, healthcare, business, and arts and culture in Tarrant County. Always free to read; subscribe to newsletters, read coverage or support our newsroom at fortworthreport.org.