FCP Alumni Spotlights - 2016
Desi Silverman-Joseph
Desi Silverman-Joseph
At the young age of 11, Desi Silverman-Joseph won a total of SEVEN prizes in the June 9-11, 2016 festival, thereby shattering all previous prize-garnering records since the festival began in 2001:
- ARTIST PIANIST AWARD
- BEST PERFORMANCE OF PRE-BAROQUE, BAROQUE WORK OR CLASSICAL PERIOD WORK
- BEST COMPOSITION BY A BUDDING YOUNG COMPOSER
- FINALIST: BEST ORIGINAL WRITTEN COMPOSITION*
- BEST DEMONSTRATION OF GENUINELY SPONTANEOUS IMPROVISATION (YouTube)
- BEST PERFORMANCE OF A ROMANTIC PERIOD WORK
- MOST VERSATILE PIANIST
* Hear his composition, Night Eagle Nocturne, on YouTube
Desi started playing piano with a Suzuki instructor, Joan Garver, when he was only 4 years old.
He has been with his current teacher, Joyce Li, since the age of 7 (Joyce Li & Desi on YouTube).
• In 2014, he won first place in the CSMTA Rising Stars Festival as well as the Schmitt Piano Competition.
• In 2014, he also performed with the National Repertory Orchestra in Breckenridge (YouTube).
• Jack Younger and Desi placed second in the 2016 International Duo Piano Competition.
• Desi was also a winner in the Advanced Competitive Division of the 2016 Schmitt Music competition (YouTube).
Desi likes to compose in a variety of styles and listen to classical music, especially by Chopin and Shostakovich (YouTube). This was evident in his Chopin-esque Night Eagle Nocturne.
He also enjoys listening to contemporary music by Bruno Mars, Jason Mraz, the Beatles ("Yeah, Yeah, Yeah!"), and Train.
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Maria Ali
Maria Ali
Another standout contestant in the 2016 festival was Maria Ali, who scooped FOUR prizes:
- BEST DEMONSTRATION OF EMBELLISHING AND/OR IMPROVISING OR ORIGINAL CADENZA
- FINALIST: BEST ORIGINAL WRITTEN COMPOSITION*
- BEST DEMONSTRATION OF SPONTANEITY AND/OR IMPROVISATION JAZZ, POP, GOSPEL OR RAG
- BEST PIANIST STUDYING WITH A CMTA MEMBER
In 2014, Maria earned two first prizes:
- BEST DEMONSTRATION OF SPONTANEITY AND/OR IMPROVISATION IN A JAZZ, POP, GOSPEL OR RAG STYLE WORK
- BEST DEMONSTRATION OF GENUINELY SPONTANEOUS IMPROVISATION IN ANY STYLE (SOLO OR PIANO ENSEMBLE)
Updates:
Maria, at age 19, won two First Prizes in the 2017 festival:
- BEST PERFORMANCE OF AN ORIGINAL TASTEFUL TRANSCRIPTION OR ARRANGEMENT
- MOST CREATIVE PIANIST
In 2019, she will be one of two featured festival alumni to perform in the festival's inaugural Alumni Celebration Recital!
BIOGRAPHY
Maria Ali has played the piano since the age of two, with music holding a central role in her life ever since. She began participating in federation festivals and competitions in first grade, the International Duo Piano Competition in second, and 10-piece memorized guild programs yearly starting in third grade.
Maria's well-rounded musical education encompasses 16 years of private piano lessons, six years on voice, three on sax, one on violin, and additional instruction on jazz piano, conducting, and composition. Also to her credit is the completion of AP music theory in which she obtained the top score of five. Her perfect pitch and fluency as soloist, ensemblist and improviser has been achieved through playing in band, jazz band, and orchestra, and through piano duet, duo, trio, concerto and quartet participation over the years.
Her yearly accolades in piano performance and composition include some at the national and international level. Her 2013 and 2016 awards in the Golden Key Music Festival (YouTube) brought her to Vienna, Austria where she performed her winning composition in the Vienna Summer Music Festival amongst winners from all around the world. One such winner was Robert Wallace, who has performed private concerts for the Obama family and Al Gore, among others. In 2014, Maria was named winner in the American College of Musicians International Piano Composition Contest. Her composition, Code Blue (for woodwind quintet), was among only five winners of the Open Space Festival of New Music 2014; UNC Greeley Masters performance students performed this quintet. The other winners of this competition were college students and professors – most notably, a Harvard College music professor.
In 2015, she attained a longstanding goal of receiving the 75-point Grand Cup from the National Federation of Music Clubs. This major award required 13 years of memorization of two contrasting solo pieces in addition to completion and memorization of concerto works. In 2016, she earned her 90-point President's Cup from the National Federation of Music Clubs, the highest honor this club bestows. She also won top performer at the Colorado State Competitive Federation Festival in the Very Difficult II level and in Senior Concerto as well. Lastly, she was winner of the Steinway Piano Concerto Competition in Denver, CO and the National Federation of Music Clubs Lana M. Bailey National Concerto Competition.
While Maria has experienced competition in many different arenas, her favorite by far is the Festival for Creative Pianists. She says it is like no other. With such an extensive array of awards available, students are recognized for a variety of strength areas. What she says she likes the most are the people who run and adjudicate this one-of-a kind festival. She has never laughed more or been so engaged by such talented and fun people! The opportunity to have a personal master class with not just one, but three top national jazz/composition/performance specialists blew her away!
In her free time, Maria enjoys playing from her collection of over 15 musical instruments. She can intuitively figure out any instrument on her own very quickly. She enjoys circus arts, including hand balancing, German pole and contortion. She has also earned multiple national first place titles in one- and two-baton twirling. Moreover, she is adept with languages (including sign language and French) and is currently studying Japanese.
Maria's well-rounded musical education encompasses 16 years of private piano lessons, six years on voice, three on sax, one on violin, and additional instruction on jazz piano, conducting, and composition. Also to her credit is the completion of AP music theory in which she obtained the top score of five. Her perfect pitch and fluency as soloist, ensemblist and improviser has been achieved through playing in band, jazz band, and orchestra, and through piano duet, duo, trio, concerto and quartet participation over the years.
Her yearly accolades in piano performance and composition include some at the national and international level. Her 2013 and 2016 awards in the Golden Key Music Festival (YouTube) brought her to Vienna, Austria where she performed her winning composition in the Vienna Summer Music Festival amongst winners from all around the world. One such winner was Robert Wallace, who has performed private concerts for the Obama family and Al Gore, among others. In 2014, Maria was named winner in the American College of Musicians International Piano Composition Contest. Her composition, Code Blue (for woodwind quintet), was among only five winners of the Open Space Festival of New Music 2014; UNC Greeley Masters performance students performed this quintet. The other winners of this competition were college students and professors – most notably, a Harvard College music professor.
In 2015, she attained a longstanding goal of receiving the 75-point Grand Cup from the National Federation of Music Clubs. This major award required 13 years of memorization of two contrasting solo pieces in addition to completion and memorization of concerto works. In 2016, she earned her 90-point President's Cup from the National Federation of Music Clubs, the highest honor this club bestows. She also won top performer at the Colorado State Competitive Federation Festival in the Very Difficult II level and in Senior Concerto as well. Lastly, she was winner of the Steinway Piano Concerto Competition in Denver, CO and the National Federation of Music Clubs Lana M. Bailey National Concerto Competition.
While Maria has experienced competition in many different arenas, her favorite by far is the Festival for Creative Pianists. She says it is like no other. With such an extensive array of awards available, students are recognized for a variety of strength areas. What she says she likes the most are the people who run and adjudicate this one-of-a kind festival. She has never laughed more or been so engaged by such talented and fun people! The opportunity to have a personal master class with not just one, but three top national jazz/composition/performance specialists blew her away!
In her free time, Maria enjoys playing from her collection of over 15 musical instruments. She can intuitively figure out any instrument on her own very quickly. She enjoys circus arts, including hand balancing, German pole and contortion. She has also earned multiple national first place titles in one- and two-baton twirling. Moreover, she is adept with languages (including sign language and French) and is currently studying Japanese.
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2017 Alumni spotlights - Samantha Ng and James Algermissen
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2017 Alumni spotlights - Samantha Ng and James Algermissen
Back to festival homepage