Pianist David Kerr, a senior at Mount Madonna School, will perform his first original composition as part of the United States Open Competition, which is scheduled for Feb. 16-21 in Oakland.
The Morgan Hill resident, who started playing the piano at age 4 and currently studies with teacher K.K. Koo, will compete in two of the 88 events that encompass the music competition.
“I absolutely loved the process of writing my own music,” said Kerr of his first composition. “Music has, and always will be, a huge part of my life. In creating my own music, I found that I learned more about myself and now have an entirely new field in which to expand upon my studies.”
On Feb. 19, he will perform his original composition, titled “Thoughts Racing.” The next day, Kerr will compete at the senior level in a Liszt duo with partner Kristin Wolfe, performing “Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2.” For the duo competition, two pianists play simultaneously and both parts are considered solos.
“Initially, I was very resistant, mainly because I felt I wasn’t good enough,” said Kerr of his first upcoming competition. “Now, I feel that it’s a wonderful way to push myself to new levels in terms of my performance. It does induce a certain level of stress, although for what I feel I am getting out of it, I am totally willing to put my best effort forward.”
Kerr said he was inspired by a friend to work on his own composition. Eight months later, he completed “Thoughts Racing.”
“I have always enjoyed playing the piano, although the countless hours of work required to reach that enjoyment is quite daunting,” Kerr said. “Fortunately, I stayed with it and now I’m at the point where even the hard work is enjoyable.”
For more information on the competition, visit usomc.org.
