BY STEPHANIE ESLAKE
Cellist Benett Tsai started his training when he was just 5 years old. But try telling him he’s a child prodigy. He’ll take none of that.
Some would consider the label an appropriate one: Benett, now 15, was the youngest winner the Fine Music National Young Virtuoso Award ever saw back in 2016, the youngest semi-finalist of the 2018 ABC Young Performers Awards, and has also taken out first place in the 2015 Australian Concerto & Vocal Competition (Young Performers), and 2017 ENKOR International Music Competition Grand Prize (String Section).
This month, he returns to perform with the Ku-ring-gai Philharmonic Orchestra (after winning its 2018 NSW Secondary Schools Concerto Competition).
And, ahead of the show, he tells us why he’s not a child prodigy.
See if you agree.
Benett, you won the KPO Concerto Competition last year, and now you return to perform in the upcoming concert! How have you enjoyed working with the KPO so far?
I am very excited about this upcoming concert. This will be my third time playing with the KPO. I really enjoy working with them as they are encouraging, dedicated, and enthusiastic musicians. I really appreciate the platform and opportunities KPO creates for young musicians like me. Each time, I learn so much through working with them.
What do you love about the works on the program this time around – and which one is your favourite?
It is going to be a very enjoyable concert with such a diverse and rich program under the baton of Peter Ellis. I look forward to hearing Debussy’s beautiful La Mer and Prokofiev’s expansive Alexander Nevsky with the choirs.
I hope the audience will also enjoy my performance of Tchaikovsky’s Rococo Variations, a piece I came to love very much because of its distinct fusion of Tchaikovsky and Mozart’s style.
So, how do you juggle practice and performance commitments with your study at Sydney Grammar School?
I am in Year 9 and I do increasingly feel the tension between school work and my cello learning. I would love to have more time and space for the cello. But study is also important, so hopefully I can continue to find a good balance. Time management and self-discipline are the key, and I am still learning to fully master these skills.
What’s your practice routine?
I don’t have a set routine each day. During weekdays, how much I can practice depends on the school work and school’s extracurricular activities. But I try to at least practice for an hour each day. I practice significantly more on weekends and school holidays.
For me, I rely on quality practice, although I would also like to have more quantity practice if time allows.
How do you feel about the idea that, successful at 15 years old, you may be considered a “child prodigy”?
I don’t think I am qualified for this title at all. I am actually quite a late-comer: it took me five years of very slow progress before I started to have a bit of a breakthrough. Discovering music is a lifelong journey and, as far as I’m concerned, I’ve still got a very long way to go.
When you’re not making music, you also enjoy tennis and football. Would you like to keep doing things other than music as you get older? And why is this balance important to you?
I love sports. In fact, I wanted to become a tennis player when I was young. There are many similarities between playing tennis and cello: the focus, the coordination, the rhythm, the practice, etc. Often, I feel my cello playing becomes fresher when I do other things I like. This makes me keep my interests other than music, even though there is a competition for time, at times.
What advice would you give to other young musicians looking to achieve their dreams?
I am still learning, so can’t say I have much advice to give. I guess having a very strong passion, and interest for music is one of the most important things to have if you want to pursue music further.
Good teachers and support from family are also crucial, which I am very fortunate to have.
See Tchaikovsky & Prokofiev starring Benett Tsai with the KPO, Willoughby Symphony Choir, and choirs from Barker College and Abbotsleigh (led by conductor Peter Ellis and also starring mezzo soprano Barbara Yuanyuan Jin) at 7.30pm November 3, The Concourse.
Images supplied.
