Zhou Ying, a girl born in 1993, won the second Shanghai Isaac Stern International Violin Competition last summer. She has many labels on her body, and the most mentioned are "Chinese American" and "Harvard Girl". Born in the United States, she received a Chinese-style family education and an American-style schooling, and grew up in the clash of different cultures. Because she also received a professional music education at the Juilliard School of Music and studied literature at Harvard, she can not only wander in the world of music, but also get a broader artistic vision by jumping out of her own field. Perhaps it is these richer experiences than ordinary people that allow Zhou Ying to stand out in the fierce competition.
Zhou Ying joined hands with the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra conducted by Fan Zhideng to perform Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto in E minor.
You have to practice, but you can't just practice
Because her father was also a professional violinist, Zhou Ying began to learn violin under her father's education at the age of four. When she was a child, her father was very strict with her, and when she was in elementary school, she was forced by her father to practice the piano for 3-4 hours a day. Chinese often emphasizes "obedience" and "hard work" in the education of children, which often conflicts with the "independence" and "freedom" emphasized by American culture. Zhou Ying said: "When I was a child, I often rebelled, because my personality was more impulsive, but my father's personality was more impulsive than mine, and I was afraid of him, so I could only obediently practice the piano. I am very grateful for the basic skills I have laid down since I was a child, and to become a professional performer, the basic skills are too important. ”
Although she aspired to become a violinist since she was a child, Zhou Ying did not go to a professional music college to study, but chose to study literature at Harvard University. Before her, the famous cellist Yo-Yo Ma also studied anthropology at Harvard University, which seemed to have nothing to do with music. "I think literature can give people a sharper view of the world, of human nature, and that's very helpful for my performance." Zhou Ying said. She loved to read novels since she was a child, and when she was 14 or 15 years old, her father read her "Romance of the Three Kingdoms", and later, she became fascinated by Jane Austen's novels, obsessed with Austen's portrayal of characters, delicate depictions of marriage and love in the 19th century. Nowadays, even if life is busy, Zhou Ying will set aside one to two hours of time for herself before going to bed every day to read a book quietly.
In addition to reading, Zhou Ying also spends a lot of time running and doing yoga. In her opinion, it is necessary to maintain physical strength, to maintain the state of muscle, in order to get physical support in long competitions and frequent performances. In 2008, Zhou Ying applied for a fund from violinist Anne Sophia Mutter, who toured with her. Throughout the process, Zhou Ying witnessed how she persisted in exercising between busy work, how to clearly plan her time, and how to adjust her state before playing. This made her more convinced that good musicians are often very "self-disciplined": to practice, but not only to practice, but also to explore the wider world. Day after day, we must maintain the "self-discipline" that is difficult for ordinary people to achieve, and cultivate positive results step by step.
Zhou Ying at the second Isaac Stern International Violin Competition last year.
You have to play, but you can't just play
The concert on the evening of April 17 was zhou Ying's first concert with the Symphony Orchestra on Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto. She used a 1742 "Guanelli" piano borrowed from a Foundation in France. "This piano has rarely been played by others before, and the voice has a lot of personality. Through two months of running-in, A tacit understanding has been cultivated between me and this piano. The human and the piano can be closely connected and complement each other, which is a very enjoyable feeling. ”
After winning the second Isaac Stern International Violin Competition last year, Zhou Ying was given more and more opportunities to appear on stage at home and abroad. From the age of 13 when she first participated in the Wieniawski Competition in Poland, Zhou Ying has experienced many international competitions along the way. In her opinion, in this era of fierce competition, if you want to become a soloist, the competition is a very good platform for the emergence of the people. But Zhou Ying understands that to participate in the competition, we must not only treat the competition as a competition, but should see the competition as a valuable opportunity for self-learning and self-adjustment. Competitions can learn a large number of new tracks in a limited amount of time and can learn how to maintain a healthy mindset under great pressure. "Even in the game, don't forget the original intention, don't forget why you play the piano, forget what music means to you."
In the next two years, Zhou Ying's schedule has been very full. She cherishes every opportunity to perform, and hopes to play her best and perform every performance well. In the future, in addition to becoming an excellent soloist, Zhou Ying also has a dream - to make more contributions to the popularization of classical music. She hopes to open a studio in the future to teach young people to learn the violin. "Every era has a different audience, and the way they embrace music is constantly changing. I hope that with the power of the Internet and social media, more people will fall in love with music and the violin. ”
Column Editor-in-Chief: Shi Chenlu Text Editor: Shi Chenlu Image Editor: Su Wei