Students from Rumson Attend International Music Festival in Vienna

Photo: Student participants (from left to right) Natalie Pugliese, Daniel Ang, Albert Wang, Campbell Lee, Kyson Zhou, Fares Al Habboubi, Alyssa Huang, Joice Huang, Jessica Zeng, Lucia Shen, Alexandra Siwulec, and Nishita Sinha.

Courtesy of Alexandra Siwulec, Golden Key Music Festival Vienna Correspondent

Led by Colts Neck resident Dr. George Borisov, Golden Key International Music Festivals are designed to educate and inspire student musicians in order to help them unlock their musical potential by offering them opportunities to perform in the most prestigious concert halls, like Carnegie Hall in New York City, Ehrbar Hall in Vienna, and Theatre Champs-Elysees in Paris. This year’s festival in Vienna did just that.

Participants from Monmouth County in this year’s festival included Campbell Lee, Alexandra Siwulec, and Marina Strakovsky, all of Rumson, Natalie Pugliese of Middletown, and Lisa Frost-Goodall of Red Bank.

The festival was held in Vienna, Austria from August 4-11 and attracted young musicians from China, Estonia, Russia, Greece, Australia, Mexico, Canada, and the United States.

The event opened with the Gala Concert for winners of the Golden Key Music Festival Vienna Piano Competition and guest artists, followed by the World Composers’ Concert for winners of the Golden Key Piano Composition Competition. Both recitals were held in the world-famous Ehrbar Hall at the Prayner Conservatory, where renowned musicians such as Johannes Brahms, Anton Bruckner, and Gustav Mahler have performed.

Other musical opportunities for students included Master Classes with professors Carol Morgan and Stephan Moller, a “Mozart in Context” musical exposition at the Bosendorfer Saal at Mozarthaus, and “A Tribute to Vienna”, a monster concert at Kaiser Hall inspired by the Cecilian Music Club of Freehold.

Young musicians were able to fully immerse themselves in the Viennese musical culture with tours of the Esterhazy Palace with its famous Haydn Hall in Eisenstaedt, Mozart’s birthplace of Salzburg, and the Johann Strauss Museum in Vienna. Students were also encouraged to attend nightly musical expositions, such as an organ concert at Saint Michael’s Church, also known as Mozart’s Church.

Borisov recognized the importance for fun, non-musical activities and included a walking tour of Vienna, a visit to the United Nations complex, and lunch at the Danube Tower in this year’s festival.

Festival participants were ecstatic about their experience in Vienna. Viviana Liao, a performer from West Windsor, NJ, said, “The Golden Key Festival in Vienna was amazing, from the stunning concerts we attended and played in to the great friends we made. Though we’d only been there a week, it was hard to say goodbye to Vienna and all the friends we made.”

Another performer, Anthony Low from California, called it “the best time of his life.”

A Winner of the Piano Composition Competition, Kevin Su from Boyds, Maryland stated, “The Golden Key festival was both entertaining and educating.”