Andrew Von Oeyen lends his talent to the symphony for its 47th season.
By Melonie Magruder / Special to The Malibu Times
In a grand finale to its 47th season, the American Youth Symphony will be presenting Brahms’ “Piano Concerto No. 2” and Shostakovich’s “Symphony No. 10” at UCLA’s Royce Hall this week, starring soloist and Malibu native Andrew von Oeyen.
Von Oeyen, 29, is currently recognized as one of the most gifted pianists of his generation, with a performing résumé that speaks of a musician with experience far beyond his years. At age 16, he debuted with the Los Angeles Philharmonic under Esa-Pekka Salonen. Of his recital at The Kennedy Center, The Washington Post’s Tim Page wrote, “I would go so far as to say that von Oeyen played the finest all-around performance of Liszt’s ‘Sonata in B Minor’ that I have heard in many years.”
A graduate of Columbia University and The Juilliard School, Von Oeyen has played with major symphony orchestras in America, performed recitals at The Kennedy Center, appeared at international music festivals such as Spoleto and Ravinia, and soloed with international symphony orchestras in Singapore, Zagreb (Croatia) and France, among others.
Von Oeyen, who looks like he would be just as at home on the cover of GQ magazine as in a concert hall, started playing at age four; but in fielding the label “prodigy,” the young musician demurs.
“I was always uncomfortable with the term because I thought it referred to a freak,” von Oeyen said in a phone interview with The Malibu Times. “Piano always came naturally to me and I was able to realize my gifts at a young age.”
Fortunately, his ear and his chops were nurtured by parents who sent him to study with private teacher Sara Banta, who is now the instructor and coordinator of Instrumental Music at Pepperdine University, and at Crossroads School, under Alexander Treger, the American Youth Symphony’s music director and conductor, and concertmaster of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Von Oeyen’s father, David, is an architect and his mother, Nancy, was a vocalist with the Los Angeles Opera who gave voice lessons at home. Needless to say, von Oeyen grew up with piano notes ringing in his ears.
“I am very comfortable with the big Romantic works like Liszt and Brahms,” von Oeyen said. “So returning to play Brahms’ second piano concerto with the American Youth Symphony is wonderful. Alex Treger does such great things.”
Treger and film composer David Newman, AYS president and also a Malibu resident, said Von Oeyen exemplifies the quality of musicianship that the symphony likes to promote in its youthful membership.
“I’ve known Andrew since he played in the chamber orchestra at Crossroads,” Treger said. “He’s the real thing. Bright, talented. Huge potential. Whenever I have the opportunity, I love to have him play as soloist.”
Newman and his wife Krystyna have worked diligently during the past several years to up the profile of the AYS, believing its orchestra members are not just teenage amateurs but, as Newman said, “pre-professionals.” AYS alumni have gone on to play with prestigious orchestras like the New York Philharmonic, the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra.
“We’ve grown a lot this year,” Newman said. “Fortunately, we haven’t been severely affected by the economy, even though 95 percent of our funding comes from private sources. I think donors recognize just what youth orchestras give to their own communities and [to] music at large. The level of our play has gotten better every year. Our concerts are free and there’s a charm to these young people who are so excited and enthusiastic about playing in an orchestral setting. To me, it’s the quintessential American story.
“Youth orchestras provide such important training for young musicians,” Newman continued. “Not everyone will follow music as a career path, but the skills you learn in music-listening, playing, working in cooperation with others-are skills that will help you whether you become a concert pianist, doctor or metal worker. A youth orchestra is a social program just as much as an arts program.”
Von Oeyen said of the youth symphony, “I was impressed with the musicianship of AYS. The special thing about these kids is they are not intimidated by the works, but neither are they jaded. Their enthusiasm is just infectious.”
Von Oeyen, who will be touring internationally with violinist Sarah Chang this year, displays the same enthusiasm, whether discussing his forays into composing, conducting (“I’ve gotten my feet wet,” he said. “It’s wonderful”) or playing uncle to his newborn nephew. Though he has homes in Paris and New York, he is relishing a few days at home in Malibu.
“This week I’ll be seeing friends, playing with my nephew and taking some time out for kayaking,” he said. “And I’ll be playing a little, too.”
Andrew von Oeyen plays with the American Youth Symphony this Sunday, 7 p.m. at UCLA Royce Hall. Admission is free. More information can be obtained by calling 310.470.2332.