Two West Lafayette high schoolers to perform with Lafayette Symphony Orchestra

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. − Two West Lafayette Senior High School students have been selected to participate in the Lafayette Symphony Orchestra's upcoming concert this Saturday.

Allan W. Keller Memorial Award

Each year, the LSO chooses up to three local musicians based on their performance in the Keller Concerto Competition to be featured soloists with the orchestra as well as to be awarded a $500 scholarship.

Jack Ma, 16, and Aaron Du, 15, were both selected due to their musical performances.

Jack Ma

Ma, a junior at West Lafayette Senior High School, has been playing the piano for over 10 years.

He performed the first movement of Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 1 for the Keller Concerto Competition; the same piece he will perform with the LSO on Saturday.

"I guess I was lucky enough to be selected (out of the competition)," Ma said. "Everybody else also played beautifully...It's a concerto, so (my performance is) going to be with the orchestra."

Along with being selected to perform along side the LSO, Ma and Du each won a $500 scholarship. Ma stated that he plans to use that money to purchase more items for his piano, such as a new sheet music light.

Public performances are not new to Ma as he has participated in multiple concerts and competitions throughout his years of playing.

"I've awards in first place in Concerto (competition) categories," Ma said. "And just recently I've played another concerto with the (previously named) Marion Philharmonic Orchestra, but they merged with the Muncie (orchestra)."

In the near future, Ma is looking forward to Saturday's concert, and especially to his performance of Chopin's work.

"It's going to be really exciting playing with an orchestra," Ma said. "It's one of the few moments of my life where I actually get to play (in) a professional one."

In the distant future, Ma looks forward to a career in the STEM field. He elaborated on how he will keep piano in his life while transitioning into a STEM career.

"I probably (will go into) something STEM oriented most likely," Ma said, "because, I like the piano but I also like the (STEM) aspect too. I view piano as kind of a hobby that I can stress myself in. But I also like STEM, I think that'd be a good field to go into."

Aaron Du

Du, a freshman at West Lafayette Senior High School, was the violinist chosen to perform at Saturday's concert along side the LSO. Du has been playing the violin for more than five years.

Each musician have similar goals for their futures, such as breaking into the STEM field while keeping music a prominent feature in their lives.

"In terms of academic interests, I'm interested in STEM engineering fields, potentially," Du said. "I do love music, so I want to keep that as part of my life, but in terms of main career, probably something STEM engineering."

Du played the third movement of the Violin Concerto No. 3 by Saint-Saëns for his audition in the Keller Concerto Competition, which is also serve as his performance piece on Saturday.

"The concert repertoire for this time is called 'Czech's Mix'," Du said. "So it's Czech music, and it's going to diverse into (Ma's piece by Chopin). So it's kind of just a blend of different European (music). Saint-Saëns is French, so it's just adding to the blend. So I thought a French composer would fit well into the theme of the concert."

Du's past performances include experience with the Wabash Valley Youth Symphony.

"There, I won another solo contest," Du said. "It's actually the same piece since auditions were right around the same time."

The young violinist stated that he began working on Saint-Saëns' piece around August of 2022.

In terms of the $500 he received from the scholarship, Du said that he plans to put that money into savings towards his future goals.

Advice for musicians

Both Ma and Du provided advice and encouragement for other musicians around their age who may need to hear some words of wisdom.

"I know (taking) lessons, practicing (and) starting new pieces might be boring," Ma said, "but try to actually do the work. Because it'll pay off later. And finally, just try to enjoy it, because if you don't enjoy it, you're going to get better."

"I think the most important part for sounding good is to just try to put your own musicality into it," Du said. "Sometimes people just try to follow dynamics (which) are expressive, but to some point, it's still robotic. So you have to put in your own expression and feeling into it."

Saturday's concert will take place at 7:30 p.m. and last about an hour and 15 minutes, according to a release, at the Long Center for Performing Arts. Tickets being at $8. For information about upcoming events or to purchase tickets in advance, visit www.lafayettesymphony.org or call 765-742-6463.

Margaret Christopherson is a reporter for the Journal & Courier. Email her at mchristopherson@jconline.com and follow her on Twitter @MargaretJC2.

This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: A pair of West Lafayette high schoolers will perform with the LSO