ESM Pianist Joins Lang Lang For Master Class

Rebecca Nelsen already knows how far a career as a musician can take her.The 12-year-old has been playing the piano since she was 4, and has plans to study at The Juilliard School in Manhattan after she graduates from Eastport South Manor Junior-Senior High School in 2020.

“I like playing on stage and in front of big crowds,” she said during a recent interview, noting that she also plays the oboe in the school’s pep band. She has played the oboe for four years.

Rebecca has always been surrounded by musicians in her Manorville home. Both of her parents, Karen and Grant, play piano. Her mother also plays the flute. Her twin brother, Ryan, is a rising percussionist at ESM as well.

Growing up in a musical home, Rebecca quickly fell in love with the art, and all of the ups and downs that go along with perfecting an instrument. Her piano teacher, Esther Chung-Marks, who teaches out of her home in Port Jefferson Station, said Rebecca’s natural talent and passion shines through.

“She is innately very musical, and she really feels the emotion in the music that she plays,” said Ms. Marks, who has been working with Rebecca for the past five years. “She really is an ideal student.”

Last month, Rebecca performed alongside 99 piano students her age, and took direction from Lang Lang, a Chinese concert pianist who has performed with leading orchestras on three continents, including in the United States. He also happens to be one of her musical idols.

“He was more fun and easy-going than I thought,” she said of the internationally known pianist. “I thought he’d come out in a tux to teach the master class.”

Ms. Marks sent seven students to audition for the Lang Lang 101 Pianists program offered by the Lang Lang Foundation. All seven were accepted and performed in October at the Tilles Center for the Performing Arts at Long Island University Post in Greenvale.

The students took a master class, worked with Lang Lang and performed for an audience all in one day. Lang Lang—who has played at venues ranging from the 2014 World Cup in Rio to the Grammy Awards where he played alongside Metallica to the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing—hosts educational programs, including 101 Pianists, for young artists around the world through his foundation.

Thousands auditioned over the summer for the opportunity to participate in the fall program.

“He really focused on our sound,” Rebecca recalled. “I learned to play loud when in front of a large audience, but to make sure the sound stays crisp.”

Rebecca said that staying consistent and practicing daily is not a problem for her because she’s been dedicated to the piano, and now the oboe, for so long. She prefers the romantic composers, with the Polish composer Frederic Chopin being her favorite.

Ms. Marks has seen Rebecca’s taste for the classic composers evolve through the years, but noted that her student’s heart lies in the romantic period.

“I like his style and how he puts the different dynamic of notes together,” Rebecca said of the 19th century artist.

Rebecca notes that she practices daily at home, except for Wednesdays, when she spends time working with Ms. Marks.

“Anything she touches, she does well,” Ms. Marks said of her student. “She has a lot of dexterity and poise, and stage presence that’s always been with her.”

Rebecca said she hopes all of the practice will pay off when she’s applying to college and auditioning in the hopes of securing scholarship money.

“It really just shows that if people try hard, they can do anything,” she said. “I don’t think I’ll ever give up.”

Rebecca performed for the Eastport South Manor Board of Education at the end of November and was honored by Schools Superintendent Mark Nocero and Board President Kenneth Cooke.

“Absolutely phenomenal,” Mr. Nocero said following her performance in front of those in attendance. “I’m so proud of students like Rebecca, who show what drive and determination can really do.”