BY STEPHANIE ESLAKE
At just 11 years old, Dindin Wang is a star violinist.
She gave her first performance when she was 8 (just a few years ago, mind you) with her twin sister, together performing Bach’s double concerto. She has gone on to win the Inaugural Australian Bach Society Encouragement Award and the string section of the 2016 Hephzibah Menuhin Award, and is a member of the Melbourne String Ensemble.
You will be able to see this young musician in action when she performs alongside German violinists Alexia Eichhorn and Friedemann Eichhorn (her idol), for the first Australian Bach Society concert of the year.
Dindin chats with us about all things music ahead of her performance – and we think she is utterly delightful.
Hello Dindin! Can you tell us a bit about why you love playing the violin?
I am not really sure, I only know I really love it at the bottom of my heart. Maybe I started doing it from a young age and it’s already been a part of my life.
How do you feel about winning the Australian Bach Society Encouragement Award?
I feel very happy and I really enjoyed playing Bach in Melbourne Recital Centre – I loved the great acoustic.
You will perform with the society this April. How do you stay brave while performing in front of a big audience?
I still remembered before the Bach competition last year that I was very nervous. My violin teacher Fintan Murphy told me a secret recipe. It is an image of a red tree in his backyard that sets the mood for the piece, and helped me overcome my nerves when I was on stage.
What has been your favourite concert to play in so far?
It was Melbourne String Ensemble 2016 year-end concert. I played some chamber music with my twin sister Dandan, and my friends Mia and Emily. We played Bach Art of Fugue for quartet and Dvorak Terzetto second movement. I really enjoyed the concert because we had lots of fun working together.
What is your practice routine?
It’s quite a hard question, I don’t really have one. Sometimes I practice a lot in one day, and sometimes I don’t at all because I need to relax the brain. The best thing I think about practising is that my twin sister helps me hold some notes or plays the piano part for me, and I can do the same for her pieces too.
What would you like to do with your music in the future?
I want to be a professional violinist just like Prof. Friedemann Eickhorn.
Is there any advice you would like to give other violinists?
I find it helps me to focus on enjoying the violin journey and not worry whether I win!
See Dindin play at the Australian Bach Society’s Bach to the Future concert on April 8. Tickets online, discounts for CutCommon subscribers.
Image supplied.
