Contest winner Aidan Kwon, 15, to perform “Rhapsody in Blue”

Youth Contest winner Aidan Kwon, 15, will perform Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue” at the South Valley Symphony’s Mother’s Day Concert May 12 at Guglielmo Winer. Photo courtesy South Valley Symphony.

By Marty Cheek

The South Valley Symphony concludes its landmark 50th concert season with a spectacular Mother’s Day concert Sunday, May 12, at the picturesque Guglielmo Winery.

Under the baton of conductor and music director Anthony Quartuccio, the orchestra will present a diverse program showcasing both classical favorites and contemporary works.

The concert opens with the rousing “Summon the Heroes” fanfare by acclaimed film composer John Williams. Sure to delight the audience with the orchestra’s masterful renditions of timeless compositions, other musical pieces will include movements from Beethoven’s triumphant Symphony No. 7 and Tchaikovsky’s dramatic “1812 Overture.”  The concert will also include two lively pieces by Johann Strauss II — “Fruhlingsstimmen” and “Czardas.”

A highlight of the afternoon will be 15-year-old piano prodigy Aidan Kwon’s performance of George Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue.” Kwon tied for first place in this year’s Al Navaroli Young Musicians Competition with his friend Katelyn Deng, who performed a Liszt piano concerto at the March 12 concert. The two both study under piano teacher Kaichi Zhu.

He will enthrall the audience with his virtuosic playing that seamlessly blends classical technique with jazz improvisation, Quartuccio promised.

The judges of the 2024 Navaroli Competition received quite a sweet surprise when they heard Kwon play the iconic piece that reflects Gershwin’s musical representation of a Jazz Age jaunt through New York City, Quartuccio said. This piece is often played with lots of technique and flashy style, but not with the originally intended style blending classical and jazz.

“Aidan’s performance of this piece was a perfect blend of both worlds,” Quartuccio raved. “He mesmerized us not only with his technical capabilities at the keyboard, but also with the depth of his understanding of both the classical and jazz musical genres.”

For Kwon, an award-winning pianist and freshman at Valley Christian High School in San Jose, this concert will mark his symphonic debut. “I’m very excited. It’s the first time I’ve ever performed with an orchestra,” he said.

Discussing Gershwin’s masterpiece, Kwon noted, “It’s very complex not just technically — which is the scales and all that — but emotionally it’s also very complex. You really need to put yourself in the environment that Gershwin was living in, and, doing that, you can really bring the piece into life.”

Gershwin’s pieces in general always infuse a jazz style, and his famous concerto embodies the New York City environment in the 1920s, he said.

“It’s something very different from what I’ve played before, and it really struck my interest,” he said. “I’m really excited to be playing it at the concert.”

In the middle of the piece there’s a long solo section where the piano just plays for several minutes. During that section, the pianist really has to change the style into something that’s their own and something that they can work with, he said.

Kwon is an award-winning pianist with many accomplishments such as earning first prize at the United States International Music Competition Concerto Category in 2021 and 2023. He also won the Grand Prize at the Silicon Valley Music Competition in 2023. He earned first prize in the United States Open Music Competition Solo Showcase in 2022 and 2023, and Romantic Composers category in 2023, as well as winning the Outstanding Gold Medalist Award for his Romantic Composers winning performance. He also was selected as a Top Performer and earned Grand Prize in the New Star Piano Competition in 2023 and second prize in the CYS Concerto Competition. He also earned Honorable Mention in 2022 and 2023 at the Marilyn Mindell Piano Competition in Palo Alto and second place at the Marian Filice Piano Competition in 2023. He has also been selected as a Junior Bach Festival Finalist in 2022 and 2023.

Aidan Kwon

Kwon started learning piano when he was five years old because his older brother played it and that sparked his interest. He started violin at age six. Playing both instruments, he entered competitions at a young age. He hopes to continue playing for recreation as he matures into adulthood.

In college Kwon plans to double major in music and either math or physics. After college, he might go to music school, but at that point it gets competitive so he’s not sure if he wants to make performing music a career.

For fun, Kwon likes playing basketball with friends and enjoys watching sports. He also competes in math competitions with his high school team.

“I also like to talk with my friends because every teenager likes to talk with their friends,” he said.

Kwon volunteers with a nonprofit organization called Almaden Youth Musicians. They go to senior centers and perform music for elderly people to enjoy.

“Through that, we actually create communities,” he said. “The seniors are always welcoming. Through music, we create these wonderful bonds and bind cultures together . . . Music has the power to bring communities together and we can also share our music with everyone and bring everyone together.”

Kwon encourages families to bring kids to the Mother’s Day concert and discover the wonders of symphonic music.

“It helps kids to discover what the South Valley has for them,” he said. “Through these concerts, they can spark their passion for music and maybe even help them want to learn an instrument — or explore other forms of classical music.”

Gates open at 2 p.m. and music starts 3 p.m. Tickets for adults are $45. Students from kindergarten through college are able to attend the Mother’s Day concert free of charge.

With such exceptional young talent as Kwon and an imaginative program bridging musical genres and eras, the South Valley Symphony will bring the joy of classical music to audiences of all ages.