Looking and sounding much older than his 13 years, the musically talented Kenneth Low recently represented Georgia in the Youth Division Finals at the Music Lights the Way Piano Festival at The Royal Conservatory of Music Koerner Hall in Toronto. Low, a Level 7 winner, was chosen out of over 8,000 participants across Canada and the U.S. for a chance to win a Yamaha b1 Acoustic upright piano, valued at over $6,500.
As the event’s official prize sponsor, Yamaha provided over $150,000 worth in prize incentives for the 20 youth finalists in the intermediate and advanced level categories.
For Low, who finished an impressive third place in his category, it was an opportunity to showcase a passion and talent he has developed locally with instruction at Piano Alpharetta with Dr. Daniel Liebeskind.
“I have been playing piano for around 8 years, since 2015,” said Low. “I might have played before that, but I can’t remember. But only in 2019 did I start getting serious about playing the piano and doing well; before that I wasn’t really dedicated to playing and practiced just for fun.”
For the opportunity to compete at this distinguished level, Low joined participants from ages 7 to 18, all with varying musical talents, by submitting video performances of piano repertoire from the Celebration Series®, Sixth Edition.
“Thirty-six renowned members of The Royal Conservatory’s College of Examiners formed a jury and, after two rounds of judging, determined the finalists in each category,” The RCM provided in a statement. “The judging was based on a standardized and proven rubric developed by The RCM over decades of assessing student performances.”
Once selected, the music education institution covered the costs of the finalists’ trips to Toronto where they were judged by James Anagnoson, Robi Botos, Naida Cole, Julie Nesrallah, and Tony Yike Yang.
Low’s next move will be to finish middle school, conquer high school and then, if his hopes are fulfilled, study computer science at a top-notch university. “I don’t know which university I would like to go to yet, but I would like to go to a prestigious university such as Georgia Tech and possibly MIT,” added Low. “MIT and Georgia Tech are known for their exceptional education in technology so I think it would be a good idea to pursue it.”
Dr. Naida Cole, one of the Music Lights the Way Piano Festival Finale judges said in a statement, “Choosing a winner for each category was a challenging task, as every finalist brought their own unique style to their performances.” She continued, “It was a joy to hear these outstanding students playing with such confidence and passion.”
For Low it was not only an opportunity to showcase his talents, but an opportunity to make special memories.
“I really enjoyed the overall event,” said Low. “Even if I didn’t win first prize, I had a lot of fun exploring Toronto and making friends. My family hasn’t gone on a trip since the pandemic, so this was very enjoyable for me.”
More about The RCM’s Music Lights the Way Piano Festival: rcmusic.com/festival.
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