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In Studio A with Zarin Mehta and Claire Xu

Zarin Mehta and Claire Xu
Zarin Mehta and Claire Xu

These two Interlochen High School Piano Intensives students performed and talked hockey, improvisation and competition.

Intensives are currently underway at Interlochen Center for the Arts.

Intensives are week-long immersive studies that take place in June, the week before Interlochen Arts Camp begins.

Music students experience a week packed with master classes, faculty recitals, student recitals, private lessons and workshops on movement, memorization, and historical styles.

Two students from Interlochen's High School Piano Intensive visited IPR's Studio A this week.

Zarin Mehta performed the Sonata no. 4 by Alexander Skryabin.

He is 14 years old and from Chicago.

Although this is Zarin's first time studying music at Interlochen, it's not his first time in northern Michigan. He's played hockey tournaments in the region before.

He says that hockey is more of a team sport and piano is more of an individual approach, but in both he wants to push himself and others to be their best.

Zarin Mehta performs music of Alexander Skryabin in IPR's Studio A
Zarin Mehta performs music of Alexander Skryabin in IPR's Studio A

Claire Xu performed Play Piano Play No. 6 by Friedrich Gulda.

She is 15 years old and from the Phoenix area.

Claire told us that her teacher told her she should learn a piece of music that was out of her comfort zone and not in the standard repertoire, which is why she has studied this Gulda work.

She explained that several parts of the Gulda piece require the performer to improvise, so she showed us just which parts were hers and which were the composer's.

Claire Xu performs music of Friedrich Gulda in IPR's Studio A
Claire Xu performs music of Friedrich Gulda in IPR's Studio A

At Interlochen's Intensives, Zarin and Claire are studying with Michael Coonrod, TJ Lymenstull and Kara Huber.

Stefan Wiebe engineered this edition of Studio A with support from Eli Braddock.

Dr. Amanda Sewell is IPR's music director.