Q&A with Monica Chung
What is your favorite piece of music to play? To listen to? My "favorites" to play and listen to are ever-changing. Itʻs like when someone asks you to choose ONE piece to listen to on a deserted island. Impossible to answer! I have a tendency to get really hooked onto one group or artist or album. These days I am enamored with all of the virtual concerts that the Boston Early Music Festival has been streaming during Covid lockdown. And just last week I listened to Yael Naimʻs 2007 album over and over again. As for playing, I will never get tired of Mozart and Prokofiev Sonatas, Bach everything, Rachmaninoff Corelli variations, and at the moment I may have a slight obsession with anything by Zez Confrey.
What achievement over the course of your life are you most proud of? The answer is not what you might expect. I survived Gordon Ramsey!!! Specifically, I was a contestant on Masterchef Season 2. You can look up Masterchef Season 2 premiere if you want to sample the heat. (see Monica at 20:23 in the video)
What is one of the most important pieces of advice that you were given as a musician or teacher? My uncle drove up to NY from Washington D.C. for my undergraduate recital at Steinway Hall. After the recital, he told me that I could play anything, but that it was not enough. He said that in this day and age, I have to figure out a way to connect this incredible field of classical music with the modernized world. And that that is a great responsibility to have. It is now 20 years later and my uncle is long gone, but his words remain the most relevant piece of advice as I continue my career as a pianist and teacher.
How do you motivate your students to practice and excel at their craft? I believe that the most effective way to motivate students is to have them attend live events. I encourage them to attend classical and non-classical concerts, musical theatre productions, choir concerts, you name it. Occasionally, my studio will go to a concert as a group, and I will give them a short written assignment for discussion afterward. I find that these days, there is a prevalent demand for pianists to be more and more versatile. And when students see the fruits of musical labor and what it is that THEY can do with their craft, that vision creates short and long-term goals to work towards. Without fail, I have noticed that students play optimally better in lessons following a live event. Before Covid, we also got together for regular studio classes. I do hope to resume studio class sooner than later. There is nothing quite like a little bit of peer pressure and support to keep them on their toes!
What is one of your fondest memories of a teacher? I was extremely fortunate to study with the late Alexander Slobodyanik, who was my teacher/mentor during my high school years. I met him just after my 15th birthday. After studying intensely with him for just 3 months, he booked me 3 solo recitals in one day. I believe he did it to test my endurance and stamina. I loved the challenge and continued to see him for lessons twice a week in my NYC apartment. The 2-hour lesson often stretched beyond dinner time, and at some point, the aroma of my motherʻs Korean cooking would force us to stop and eat! Whenever Spring break or Thanksgiving break or any kind of "break" came around, I would head over to his home in NJ for a lesson that often extended over the course of a whole day and night. I loved the meals with his family, and even learned about Ukrainian cooking. During one of these marathon weekend lessons, he was speaking of the art of subtle musical gestures, and made a reference to the delicateness of herbs like dill. When he saw my blank face and realized that I had no idea what dill was, he practically tossed me into the car and we drove around to a few grocery stores until we found fresh dill. Satisfied with the "lesson", we headed home and I experienced the most delicious borscht topped with the dill he found at the store. I can still remember his wife shaking her head with a smile. Those who loved him remember him as an incredible artist who was passionate, kind, and uniquely thorough.
What advice do you have for the young aspiring musicians of the next generation? Donʻt forget to enjoy your musical journey. Be in awe of your progress and you will find a fascination with the unfolding of your artistic abilities. This means that every moment practicing and preparing is never wasted. Make every performance big or small count, because you never know who will be listening or what kind of impact you may have. Music is a powerful language without words, and your music is a gift that is always worth sharing. Do not be afraid to immerse yourself fully into this musical world!
