by Hadley Snell
The month of August was a busy time for the Da Capo Piano Group! From starting new chapters in Michigan and Australia to scholarship recognition and new community jobs, there’s a lot to recap in the realm of piano.
One of the most exciting aspects of the group is its ever-expanding impact in communities beyond where it first started a year ago. Since its foundation in Fort Wayne, it has grown to include five different chapters, including Greater Lafayette in Indiana, Columbus, Ohio, Troy, Michigan, and, prospectively, Perth, in Western Australia. As a member of the Fort Wayne chapter, I was excited to talk to the new chapter heads of the Troy and Perth chapters and hear what they had to say about joining Da Capo.
When asked how she found out about the group, Brenda Mao, Troy Chapter Head, discussed how she attended the Carmel Klavier International Competition over this past summer, where she met Chloe, the founder of Da Capo. From there, the two connected to get the chapter in Michigan started. As a “really shy” kid who “absolutely hated any kind of public speaking”, Brenda says that performing piano and playing competitively has given her a way to gain confidence, which she hopes to use to expand the chapter. Although the chapter in Troy is currently confined to Brenda’s school, she looks to expand it to other schools around her area as a way to serve the community while also providing more rewarding experiences for her fellow pianists to perform and showcase their talents.
Juni from Perth has similar goals when it comes to the possibility of starting a Da Capo Chapter in Australia. In a rather unconventional way, Juni heard about Da Capo after a member reached out to him through TikTok. For Juni, exploring music has allowed him to learn “anything I wanted ever since I achieved a high level”. Although this might seem like a broad statement, the versatility of developing a skill like piano is evident, from the humble Great Lakes of the Midwest United States to the shores of Western Australia.
When Da Capo isn’t performing as a group, its members are still busy using their talents elsewhere. As someone who rarely performs outside of recitals, this month, I was both nervous and excited to be offered the opportunity to play at a small church in Fort Wayne through one of my fellow chapter members, Catherine Ji, who now studies at Purdue in West Lafayette. While she has been away for college, I have been playing piano for the congregation 1-2 times a month, and although the first time was a little rocky, the experience of serving others through music is something intangibly impactful for both the pianist and the people hearing the music.
Finally, two members of Da Capo recently became recipients of the Chopin Foundation Scholarship Program, which aims “to support and encourage young, talented American pianists”. Chloe Park (Fort Wayne, IN Chapter) and Erik Jacoby (Columbus, OH Chapter) are both first years in the program, and are eligible for a renewable scholarship for the next four years as long as they meet the repertoire requirements each year. After hours of practicing exigent etudes, finding dynamic nuances in nocturnes, or exploring any other vast variety of Chopin’s works, it is certainly rewarding to see effort getting paid off, whether that be in the form of money or just the simple feeling of accomplishment.
That’s it for August, but I’m looking forward to the months to come for Da Capo. As the school year settles in, we look to revisit some of our first few performances, explore more musical periods, and of course, spread the love of music through our favorite 88-key instrument.
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