South Fayette eighth-grader to perform at Carnegie Hall
Courtesy of the South Fayette School District
An eighth-grade pianist in the South Fayette School District will be displaying her musical talents at Carnegie Hall.
Adalia Mathew,13, was selected as a first prize winner in the 13 to 15 age group for the Golden Classical Music Awards Piano Competition. As part of the achievement, she will perform March 9 in the Winners’ Recital at Carnegie Hall in New York City.
“I was stunned,” she said. “I was pretty nervous about the results. I didn’t think I’d be able to win something so big. I’m really excited to play at Carnegie Hall, but it’s still unbelievable. I think about it a lot and every time I’m shocked.”
Adalia has been playing piano since she was 4, starting because her day-care teacher was showing some of the children there how to play. She credited a number of her teachers for being instrumental in her success, as well as Lewis Music Studio and acclaimed pianist Yeeha Chiu, who critiqued and refined her techniques in preparation for the competition
The Golden Classical Music Awards International competition is open to all nationalities and ages in strings, piano, wind and vocal. Each discipline is divided into different age categories: Young Musician (8 and younger), Junior (ages 9-12), Intermediate (13-15), Advanced (16-18) and Senior (no age limit).
Applicants submit one to three audio recordings reflecting the classical repertoire of the Baroque, Classical, Contemporary or Romantic period.
Adalia submitted Mozart’s Turkish March and Piano Sonata K. 545 and Bach’s Prelude in C Major, which she will perform at Carnegie Hall.
Adalia also plays the cello in the South Fayette Middle School Orchestra, as well as the Pittsburgh Youth Philharmonic Orchestra.