A 13-year-old Vietnamese-American music student won a trip to Japan to perform his composition, reports the Arizona Republic here.
Christian Nguyen (pictured), from Gilbert, Arizona, was chosen to be one of 13 performers from the world over to join the International Junior Original Concert.
His composition “Dragon Keeper” was a winner chosen from among 35,000 entries from Yamaha Music Schools in 41 countries.
On Saturday, Nguyen performed his composition with Phoenix Symphony Orchestra member Michael D’Avanzo on the cello and Arizona State University music professor J.B. Smith on the marimba.
In the audience were his parents Andy Nguyen and Vienchi Tran, his 3-year-old sister Courtney, and Heidi Grimes, one of his teachers at East Valley Yamaha Music School in Chandler.
“I was so stunned, I didn’t even, like, feel anything. As November came close, I became more and more excited and happy,” said Christian, on the eve of his trip to Tokyo.
His teacher said of his piece: “It’s a very energetic piece, with lots of rhythm. The middle is very emotional, almost romantic. It’s not what you’ll expect from a young boy – it’s tender, sensitive and has a very mature melody.”
Grimes has taught music to Christian since he was 5 years old. Currently, he studies repertoire, technique, improvisation and composition with several teachers.
Grimes said “It’s a joy to work with him. He’s very creative and very bright.”
At home, Christian also takes private lessons in piano and composition. He also plays guitar and drums. At Tempe’s Gethsemane Lutheran School, where he studies, he also plays softball, soccer and basketball, does cross-country running and track and field. He enjoys video games and online social networking.
How does he find the time to do everything?
“It’s pretty complicated,” explained Christian. “I really don’t know.”
Cool kid. Proud parents.
Now, if that JK can go away, us, Viets, can breath easy.
Bo May can only dream of achieving something great like this!
Good job Christian Nguyen!
He’s an extremely talented guy! Very glad that he’s such a great Viet Talent!
Here’s a video of the prodigy when he was only 10! Awesome.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vm12o9LJPZw
We are extremely proud of him!
hahaha it cracks me up how viscous you all are with each other. When I think things are muddy in democratic political circles, I just think of B’s blog hahaha
For god’s shake, this is a blog about a 13 y.o. piano prodigy.
Kimmy just go away, pleazzze!
Cool kid. Proud parents.
Now, if that JK can go away, us, Viets, can breath easy.
What wrong with this statement?
Only a fleeting wishful moment.
LOL
Bo May — This is your Daddy. Fool, get back to bed and put that bottle in your mouth. Suck it hard!
Hey Kimmy, why are you picking on Loretta? She has nothing but love for you. Hope you have a great thanksgiving. Perhaps the food will fill the black void that resides in you.
http://orangejuiceblog.com/2009/11/oc-sea-change-the-viet-dem-pac-kickoff/
Stevie, did you send Thanksgiving Day cards to now unemployed Dem. governors?
Lroetta needs a job application next year. Thanks to our Viet Assemblyman Van Tran.
Go Mr. Van Tran!
Hey Stevie, your liberal blog must be having a bad hair/business day with Obama’s declining popularity…now you want to blog here at our proud Viet site “Bolsavik”!
Not like dummies at liberal blog…… we work very hard here!
Bolsavik is the # 1 !
Our Bolsavik is dominating both liberal and orange blog.
Now other site operators have to join us here……
Go Bolsavik!
Bolsavik and I have spent many hours behind this computer blog……. making sure our Viet community is fairly represented in the main stream.
Next year, for the first time, we are going to have our own Congressman representing OC! Go Mr. Van Tran!
With a friend like Kim Jung, Van Tran does not need an enemy. LOL
5 days after I caught Andrew Do and his family in Santa Ana he took over ownership of his rental house in Garden Grove (10-30-2009). I think he bullied a handicapped man in order to do this. I can tell you for a guarentee Andrew is pissed off. If I alone had let his residency issue be, he would still be spending most, if not all of his time in Santa Ana. Trust me Andrew Do thinks we are all stupid. We should not let it go what he has done. Andrew Do has only one real friend and that is Janet Nguyen…and vice versa….2 rattlesnakes. Rattlesnakes are very dangerous.
haha good one Bo May.
Jung, I read Viet-American news here. I definitely feel like your community is an under-represented one here in OC and nation-wide so I read up often, don’t always comment. I think this 13yr old is extremely talented so I felt the need to share that video. Bolsavik does great blogging here, I agree!
But in regards to VanTran, sorry I know Van Tran would be representative of you, but he is not there for your substantive representations. Very few republicans are. I know they hate the commies and all that, and that, that is a rallying point for many in you community, but it is a declining one. Numbers show Viet-Americans are increasingly going Dem. Find yourself a nice liberal-democratic Viet-American and that’ll be a horse to back!
I don’t blog often at theliberaloc so I don’t really care about your jeers in regards to the popularity of the OC Blog sites. Haha don’t be such a petulant child =P!
Hey Stevie the Still Wondering, try some pho soup before making a loser’s comment here. You do sound very desperate ….with Loretta in a very fragile position.
Don’t worry too much!
We, Viets (Rep, Dem, Ind) are all going to Vote for Mr. Van Tran on the election day.
Go Viets & Mr. Van Tran.
You need to speak for yourself only Jung Kim because I’m Viet and I’m definitely not going to vote for your godfather Van Tran. Dream on but it’s not gone happen.
Hey Viet Wannabe, you can go vote for the loser or whatever ie. dog and cats… but our real Viets are going to vote in Mr. Van Tran!
As you can see with Mr. Joseph Cao, all Rep. and Dem. Viets are going to support our own best representation.
Go Mr. Van Tran!
Guys. Please keep the rambling political trash out of this blog.
Show a little respect and decency here.
Don’t contradicting yourself. If you’re proud to be Viet then your handle shouldn’t be Jung Kim. You must be ashamed of something!