Hitting the High Notes in the Big Apple
A Malaysian paralympic pianist performs at the United Nations Dag Hammarskjöld Auditorium and Carnegie Hall in New York. HENG LEE CHIN is still entranced by her experience as she pens this article.
When I received the invitation to perform at the United Nations and Carnegie Hall in New York from Professor Tokio Sakoda, President of Institute of Piano Teachers & Disabled Research Association (IPD), Japan, it just seemed so surreal.
Honestly, I could not say which performance claimed first place in my heart, having a presence, and a voice, at the United Nations on International Day of Disabled Persons, or performing at Carnegie Hall, where the most famous and talented musicians have stood.
The demonstration concerts featured 24 participants from eight countries -- Japan, Korea, Taiwan, France, Poland, Spain, Malaysia and the United States. Only participants at the 1st Piano Paralympics Festival in Yokohama were invited to take part in the concerts, which was why I was invited.
Touching down in New York
As usual, I chose to depart from Singapore’s Changi Airport, which was closer to my home in Johor Baru, than flying from the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA).
We had left Changi on December 1 at 6.50am and landed in New York 24 hours later at 5.30pm the same day.
Most of the participants had already arrived at Holiday Inn, Fort Lee, the hotel where we were put up for the next six nights.
By the time we checked in, we were so hungry we proceeded straight to the hotel restaurant for dinner, where we caught up with old friends from the 1st Piano Paralympics Festival. It was also a time of “I know we should have met before in Yokohama but may I know your name and where you come from again?”
The next morning, a briefing on the schedule for the next five days was given in Japanese! Not to worry, though, as Japanese/English interpreters were on hand to help the non-Japanese speaking participants. Interestingly, the volunteer interpreters, some of whom were mommies and daddies now, are ex-students of Professor Sakoda.
Sakoda may have been teaching piano in Japan for 40 years, but his ex-students are located all over the world and it amazes me how he has always been able to get them to volunteer as interpreters and co-ordinators at such disability-related concerts in different parts of the world.
Participants were given an hour of practice session every day at Jimbo Studio, a 10-minute bus ride from the hotel. A shuttle bus with lift was available every two hours from the hotel to the studio and back. All we had to do was make sure we caught the bus according to our practice schedules.
Jimbo Studio is a small, cozy house converted into a studio with at least two pianos in each room. Except for the three steps at the entrance, all the houses in the area looked the same, with a lovely stretch of white-picket fences.
United Nations International Disabled Day concert (December 3)
We arrived at the gate of the United Nations at 2pm. Wheelchair-users were taken to another gate at 42nd street for easier access to the concert stage. And for those of you who have visited United Nations, yes, even performers have to go through tight security too. Rehearsals were arranged according to the performance order. After rehearsals, my mother and I visited the UN gift shops with Ms Sonoko, one of Professor Sakoda’s students, and to our amusement, almost all members of the group were there too!
A reception was held at 6pm, and 30 minutes later, the concert started. It was not open to the public; only representatives from the media and United Nations were invited. As the auditorium is quite small without a backstage for performers to wait in, all of us sat with the audience when not on stage. Though it was freezing inside the hall, the human contact and heartwarming response from the audience made us performers feel so appreciated. It was definitely not just another concert that had people going home unaffected.
After the concert, we headed straight to a Chinese restaurant in downtown Manhattan as we were quite famished then. We were tired as well.
Finally, after what seemed like 10 or 12 courses of American-style Chinese food, we were dropped off at the hotel.
My practice session on the fourth day of arrival was at 5pm. We were briefed a day before about the two programmes that we could participate that day. I knew I would not be able to wake up to catch the 8.30am bus for a talk on music therapy at New York University, so I put my name for the 2pm programme on Method by Professor Robert Pace of Julliard School of Music.
In the evening, we were taken to an Italian restaurant in southeast New Jersey that offered a superb view of the neon lights of Manhattan overlooking the Hudson River as well as great Italian cuisine.
Carnegie Hall (December 5)
The performers’ schedule was similar to that for the UN concert so we had two groups of people going different ways. The first part of the concert was at 1pm, and the second, 7pm. Half the group left for their preparation in the morning while the second half, including yours truly, were again taken to Jimbo Studio for practice before heading to Carnegie Hall. Our morning call came really early that day, at 6.30am.
We arrived at Carnegie Hall shortly before the first group started performing. We sat with the audience and the experience of being inside the hall, hearing such beautiful notes coming from the magnificent piano and seeing the talented and passionate performers on stage was incredible.
As soon as the concert ended at 3pm, the second group of performers were lined up for rehearsal. It was a tight schedule that ended with a short siesta backstage and a makenouchi bento (Japanese lunchbox) meal before the concert started at 7pm.
Was it just me or did it affect all performers at this prestigious hall? I felt Carnegie Hall brought out the performer in us; we were all definitely not professional or seasoned performers, in fact, many were students. However, the tension backstage was so thick, you could feel it in the air and it made us feel that nothing but the best was expected of us. And everyone gave of their best.
After the final curtain, we were awarded certificates of merit. As cameras were not allowed inside the hall, the certificates were precious keepsakes to remind us that we had really performed at Carnegie Hall.
The next two days after the concert was a time for us to wind down. After the hard work of the past four days, we needed a break physically, mentally, and gastronomically! (we had been having sandwiches for lunch every day and were looking forward to a change in menu).
Our organisers had planned a full programme for us, starting with a six-hour sightseeing tour that included Manhattan, where most of the famous landmarks are. Passing by Central Park and the famous 5th Avenue branded stores, our first stop was the Empire State Building.
We were taken to South Street Seaport for lunch. By then, it was already 2pm. The Seaport gave a good view of Brooklyn across the Brooklyn Bridge and had a food court that offered a variety of Mexican, Chinese and Japanese food.
When we made our way back to 5th Avenue, the traffic was so bad, thanks to the holiday crowd, that we did not have time for shopping as we had to be back at the hotel for dinner by 7pm.
It was a letdown to everybody and even though I could not afford to shop at 5th Avenue anyway, I had been hoping to see the big Christmas tree at the Rockefeller Centre. We were lucky we had a wonderful driver who took the bus round the area again to let us see the Christmas tree lights come on.
We had our last supper at the hotel. Some participants had already left for the airport, while others were going off that night or early the next morning. Dinner was mainly sandwiches again but this time, we were too busy exchanging e-mails and taking photos to notice the food.
All good experiences must come to an end and so at 5am on December 7, my mother and I got into a cab for Newark Liberty International Airport.
A note on the cab service, from Newark Airport to anywhere other than Manhattan, it is quite hard to hail a taxi with wheelchair-lift unless you can call a cab from Manhattan. I am not sure how much that would cost, but be sure to find out about cab services before landing at Newark Airport as free airport shuttle or air-trans services only go to Manhattan.
For the full story, subscribe to Challenges here
Continue Reading