Young artists shine at Strathmore Performing Arts Festival

The Strathmore Performing Arts Festival is wrapping up today, and it once again gave Strathmore's young musicians a chance to perform and show off the results of their hard work.

Isaac Taylor was one of many who took part, and he is currently preparing for his Royal Conservatory of Music ARCT piano performance degree, which is one of the highest academic standings awarded by The RCM Certificate Program. Featuring masterpieces from some of the most well-known composers and many difficult technical challenges, Taylor said the live performance experience at the festival will go a long way towards getting him prepared for his ARCT test.

"You can practice at home as much as you want but it's the performance experience that really gets you ready for exams and competitions and all of that stuff so I feel like this is a really helpful opportunity," he said.

Perhaps even more valuable than the experience itself is the feedback from adjudicator Dave Wheeler, who holds a doctorate in piano performance and pedagogy from the University of Oklahoma among many other accomplishments. After the performances, he offered feedback on what the performers did well and what could be improved upon, which Taylor found very useful.

"It helps a lot, I can work on things, it's good to get a different perspective from my teacher's perspective, it's really helpful."

Another aspect Taylor enjoyed was playing a Steinway and Sons grand piano. Widely regarded as the highest quality pianos available, playing a Steinway for a pianist can be likened to a racer driving a Lamborghini. Any opportunity to play a Steinway is always a joy for any pianist, and Taylor said it helped elevate his pieces to even greater heights.

"I feel like it lets the music flow through me a lot easier, and just the weight of the keys is also super helpful for my large pieces that I'm playing, especially for the trills, the ornaments, the runs."

The festival will fully conclude on April 4 at 7:00 p.m. with an awards show and the showcase concert.