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By Alex Heigl

For SFCM student Lavinia Chen, the road to one of Europe’s most iconic concert halls started in childhood.

But it was her recent first-prize win in the 2022 International Grand Prize Virtuoso Music Competition that sealed the deal. And she doesn’t have a bad itinerary for her first-ever trip to Europe: Aside from Vienna, she’ll be playing Elgar Room at the Royal Albert Hall in London, where her accompanist will be playing the piano once owned by Sir Elton John.

“My teacher Cordula Merks always encourages her students to get out there and go for all the opportunities, but at the beginning, I just didn’t have much confidence in myself. I didn’t think I had any chance in competitions—that’s why I never really dared to look into them.” Chen said. 

Chen felt intimidated by the level of her peers’ playing upon her arrival to SFCM, and she was motivated to seek out competitions to enter over winter break following a concert she felt she performed poorly at, wanting to push herself and make her teachers proud. After this high-profile win, she has nothing but kind words for her fellow students and teachers, who she said inspire her every day to perfect her craft. 

Though she competed with the Saint-Saëns Violin Concerto No. 3 in B minor, Op. 61, Chen will be performing the "Cantabile for Violin and Guitar" by Niccolò Paganini, one of the Genoese violinist’s most song-like compositions. Another personal connection to the piece for Chen landed quite literally close to home: “My roommate Viah is an outstanding guitarist, and I think playing this piece together will be a very meaningful experience for us."

April is going to be a whirlwind for Chen: She has her first-year master’s recital on the 10th, leaves the day after, performs in Vienna on the 14th, then in London on the 20th. “Europe has been a dream destination in my heart that always seemed way too far to reach,” she said. “I just never imagined I could actually go due to financial barriers. Even when I first got the winning letter, I was like, ‘Oh, cool,’ but I guess I will just ask them to mail the award to me."

Chen’s trip, funded partially by SFCM, has an extra layer of personal meaning for her. “None of my family has ever been to Europe. My dad doesn’t know much about classical music, and the only thing he recognizes is the Musikverein, where the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra performs their annual Vienna New Year’s Concert," she said.

“Whenever we watched those concerts on TV, my dad would always say, ‘If you become famous one day, you’ll get to go there with your violin!’ Words simply cannot describe how touched I felt when I told my dad, ‘I’m actually getting to do it!’ 

"I want to thank SFCM’s support that constantly pushes me closer to my dreams,” Lavinida said. “Last but not least, I would like to thank Prof. Chen Zhao, who challenges me to reach higher levels with patience, and Prof. Merks, who always believes in me and gives me the confidence to keep trying no matter what," Chen added. 

Check out a pre-performance by Lavinia Chen and guitarist Viah Yang below. 

Learn more about studying violin at SFCM.