All are invited to live stream Evelyn Lam’s DMA recital this Thursday, March 21st at 8 pm CST (9 pm EST). Mobile users, click through in your browser to view the live stream link, program, and invitation. Join us in celebrating Evelyn’s amazing musical achievements!
This week we’re speaking with Molly H. on what it took for her to make the top HS Region Orchestra (Symphony) just one year (!) after starting viola. Molly began playing the violin at age 6 and often leads The Sugar Strings in their performances around Sugar Land. In addition to playing violin and viola, Molly runs her own piano studio for young musicians.
You study three instruments in addition to your academic subjects! What’s your best piece of advice for other young musicians who want to pursue multiple areas of expertise?
Enjoy it! Don’t let your music just become a grade or a requirement. I feel the most accomplished when I can share my skills and bring joy to others!
How do you balance nerves and confidence in auditions and performances?
Before the region audition, I put positive affirmation statements on notecards, to tell myself I was prepared and would do well! At the audition, tried to block out all the other players and focus on being mentally prepared. At performances, I try to enjoy the music as much as I can and trust my muscle memory and all the hard work I put in!
Leading up to your audition, what was your practice schedule like?
When the music first came out, I made goals to have much of the music memorized fairly quickly. About a month from the audition, I increased my practicing to at least two hours a day. It was definitely challenging, but I found a drive within me. I had worked so hard, I couldn’t just give up! I knew that every minute I worked could be the difference of getting in or not.
Does your viola have a special story behind it? Tell us your favorite things about your instrument and why you chose it.
I really like my viola’s rich tone and, since it is only 14 inches I can switch between violin and viola. It’s an antique made in 1893 and I enjoy thinking of all the people who have heard it played!
What new pieces are you looking forward to adding to your repertoire this year?
I am looking forward to adding both viola and violin peices this year! I am currently preparing Schubert’s Arpeggione Sonata on my viola.
December 2017 Student Showcase Recital
featuring works by Paganini, de Bériot, Saint-Saëns, and Viotti
Virtuosi of Houston Studio
Memorial City Mall
303 Memorial City Suite 235
Houston, Texas 77024
A Seminar for Families with Children Ages 5 – 15
Please join us this Saturday, September 10th from 2:00 – 3:00PM at the Sugar Land Art Center & Gallery (Blue Room) for a one-hour seminar on setting children up for success with the arts supplement. $10 Admission Per Family (tickets at the door)
Congratulations to LHS Collaborative Pianist Evelyn Lam for being selected as one of six 2016 Music Inspire Africa artists! Evelyn will travel to South Africa from May 23rd – June 13th to perform, present, and teach.
In more Evelyn news, enjoy these pictures from her DMA Collaborative Recital earlier this month at Hatch Recital Hall! Watch this page for information about Evelyn’s upcoming coaching and performance dates in Houston with LHS.
Lauren Haley Studios is thrilled to announce that LHS Collaborative Pianist Evelyn Lam has been selected as Teaching Assistant to Professor Natalya Antonova at the Eastman School of Music! Ms. Lam is pursuing her doctoral performance degree after completing both her B.M. and M.M. in Piano Performance at Eastman. Evelyn takes on this new teaching avenue in addition to her current teaching position (undergraduate piano class) at Eastman.
Ms. Lam will be available for a limited number of piano coaching sessions in Sugar Land and The Woodlands from February 8th – 13th. Interested LHS families must have their piano teacher’s permission before requesting a coaching spot. Arrangements for lessons with Ms. Lam can be made through Ms. Haley.
Ms. Lam and Ms. Haley are excited to invite you to their performance at the LHS Winter Recital on Saturday, February 13th at 5:30pm.
About Evelyn:
Born in Hong Kong, Evelyn Wing-Yan Lam started learning the piano at the age of 7. Her principal mentors include Natalya Antonova, Maxim Mogilevsky, and Wai Cheng. She also worked with Sergei Krivonos, Thomas Schumacher, Jean Barr, Elinor Freer, Sylvie Beaudette, and Ksenia Nosikova. In 2007, Evelyn achieved the Licentiate Diploma in piano performance with distinction from the Trinity College of Music, London. In 2009, Evelyn was admitted to the Eastman School of Music in Rochester NY, where she received a Bachelor degree in Piano Performance in 2013 and a Master of Music degree in 2015.
Before coming to the States in 2009, Evelyn won numerous prizes in the Hong Kong Schools Music Festivals, including 2 champions, three 2nd prizes, and other honors in the piano solo and duos division. In 2001, Evelyn participated in the 65th Steinway & Sons International Youth Piano Competition (Hong Kong Region), winning the fifth prize in the category of aged 10 below. She also achieved the Outstanding Award in the Mozart Piano Competition in 2003. In 2010, she received the Honors Chamber Award from the Eastman School of Music. In 2013, she received the Henry Cobos Endowed Piano Prize from the Eastman School of Music, for her exceptional achievement in the study and performance of piano. In the summer of 2014, Evelyn participated in the piano program at the Chautauqua Institution, where she was one of the 6 six finalists in the piano competition. She also received the second prize in the American Protégé International Competition in 2015, making her debut at the Weill Recital Hall at the Carnegie Hall in November 2015.Evelyn has also performed as a soloist with the Hong Kong Children Symphony Orchestra since 2008. She performed Beethoven Piano Concerto No.3, and Piano Concerto No.5 “Emperor”. In August 2010, she toured with the orchestra to China, performing the Yellow River Piano Concerto, conducted by Dr Yip Wai-Hong.
An active soloist and collaborative pianist, Evelyn has performed in many recitals near Rochester, New York. She often gives outreach recitals in schools, senior homes, churches, and the George Eastman House. In 2015, Evelyn was appointed Collaborative Pianist for Lauren Haley Studios in Houston, Texas, where she performs with and mentors young musicians.
Evelyn is currently pursuing the Doctor of Musical Art in Piano Performance and Literature at the Eastman School of Music, where she studies with Natalya Antonova and serves as the studio assistant. She is also a recipient of the graduate teaching assistantship, teaching the undergraduate piano classes.
Congratulations to LHS pianist Evelyn Lam on her Carnegie Hall debut!
Lauren Haley Studios Presents:
The Winston Trio in Concert
Featuring works of Brahms, Franck, and Beethoven
Saturday, August 22nd, 2015
6:30PM
Virtuosi of Houston Studio
Memorial City Mall
303 Memorial City Way #235
Houston, Texas, 77024
Free and Open to the Public
About the Musicians
Thomas Fortner, cello
An active soloist, collaborator, and conductor, Thomas Fortner is the Founder and Director of the Iowa Great Lakes Music Festival. With a Master’s in Cello Performance from McGill University, Thomas has performed in and led concerts internationally. Thomas plays a cello by American luthier Raymond Joseph Melanson and will begin conducting studies at Peabody Conservatory this fall. http://www.iowagreatlakesmusic.org
David Sedgwick, piano
With a Master’s Degree in Performance from Rice University and a B.A from UCLA, David performs on both trumpet and piano. His other passions include composition, philosophy, kinesiology/reflexology, and visual art. Hailing from California, he draws inspiration from the natural world and intends to share his art throughout as many countries as possible.
Lauren Haley, violin
Lauren Alexandra Haley earned a degree in Violin Performance from the Eastman School of Music, where she studied with Oleh Krysa. Accepted into both the violin and viola performance programs at Eastman, Lauren also studied violin with the late Zvi Zeitlin and viola with Phillip Ying (of the Ying Quartet). Lauren performs on a 1750’s Thomas Smith violin and 1930’s François Lotte bow. Her studio enrolls over 50 dedicated musicians on violin and viola.
LAUREN HALEY STUDIOS 
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