Violinist makes the grade for Juilliard
Written By: Chelsea Clogg
2003-05-16
Some schools are known for being the best. In culinary arts, it is Le Cordon Bleu in France. In music, it is the Juilliard School, and that is where Andrew Wan, a second-year Bachelor of Music student at the University of Alberta, is heading this fall."I've always dreamed of going to Juilliard," said Wan, a 19 year-old Edmonton native.
Wan found out he had been accepted into the Bachelor of Music program in violin after a rigorous audition session in New York City earlier this year. Wan was in New York to audition at another school when Juilliard called to invite him to audition for them.
"Each school has a different audition process. Juilliard's is the biggest," Wan said. "The audition is only ten minutes, but they ask you to prepare up to an hour of certain pieces."
Although Wan has been playing the violin since he was five, and he could have applied to Juilliard right out of high school, he decided to come to the U of A first.
"I felt like I could grow here. It is a small, close-knit faculty with tons of opportunity for performance," said Wan, who was able to perform solo with the U of A orchestra and was the concertmaster in his first year. "I've gained confidence at the U of A, and I'm transferring to Juilliard because I'm ready," he said.
Wan's professors in the U of A Department of Music speak highly of him. "We encouraged Andrew to try out for Juilliard because of his advanced gifts, musicality, innate ability, and his endless possibilities in the world of music," said Tanya Prochazka, music professor and head of strings in the U of A music department. "Andrew's playing is special because he has already mastered many of the most advanced techniques, and he is a musician through and through."
Wan is looking forward to his move to New York. "While the musicology program at the U of A is phenomenal, and the academic aspect is excellent, there is a huge emphasis on performance at Juilliard, he said, adding that he hopes to continue beyond the bachelor program and undertake graduate studies at Juilliard, as well.
To help offset the cost of attending Juilliard, Wan and David Eggert, a U of A open studies student who will study at the New England Conservatory of Music next year, are holding a fund-raising concert June 1 in Convocation Hall on campus at 3 p.m.
Original: ExpressNews