Praise For Malaysian Teenage Music Prodigy

From Hafizah Kamaruddin NEW YORK, March 2 (Bernama) -- Malaysian music prodigy Tengku Ahmad Irfan Tengku Ahmad Shahrizal is not only a talented genius but a rare talent who, at the age of 13, has shown "sophistication and depth" in his work, according to his piano professor Dr Yoheved Kaplinsky. Kaplinsky, a renowned classical pianist, lecturer and professor of music at the Juilliard School here, said the young man excelled in piano and composition. The artistic director of the institution's pre-college division, which caters to young talented musicians aged between seven and 17, was impressed with Tengku Ahmad Irfan's performance the moment he came for audition at the school in February last year. Kaplinsky said that though Tengku Ahmad Irfan had only been under her tutelage since last September, he had made tremendous progress. "His compositions are so mature and sophisticated that even his teachers are amazed that he can do it," she told Bernama and RTM after a visit by the Malaysian prime minister's wife, Rosmah Mansor, and several members of the Association of Wives of Ministers and Deputy Ministers (Bakti) to the prestigious performing arts school here Thursday. Heaping praise on the young Malaysian, Kaplinsky predicted that the teenager would make it in the music world since "he has all the ingredients of a wonderful musician" and that "his future is pretty much assured". Rosmah arrived here on Wednesday for a four-day working visit in conjunction with United Nations' 56th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW). She is scheduled to deliver a luncheon talk at the CSW on Friday. Describing Tengku Ahmad Irfan as hardworking and conscientious in his work, Kaplinsky said: "Whatever we give him, he does to perfection. Definitely a rare talent." Noting that Irfan was able to play anything he wanted as he worked on perfecting his skills, she said the school would provide him performance opportunities along the way. "Irfan will grow into a very sincere and very caring musician, and has both the talent and the personality to become a real artist," Kaplinsky said, noting that the Malaysian's humbleness and refined personality would work in his favour in his career as a musician. Meanwhile, Tengku Ahmad Irfan, who is from Permata Seni Muzik, said he felt honoured to have been selected to further his studies in music at the school considering the stiff competition to get admission. He has won a scholarship from the school. Founded in 1905 as the Institute of Musical Art by Dr Frank Damrosch, the school enrolls less than seven per cent from the thousands of applicants each year. Last year, 5,000 people applied for the coveted spots. Tengku Ahmad Irfan, the eldest child of an ENT specialist, said he only came to know of the school during a performance here in 2010 when he was drawn to an advertisement at a bookshop. He was fortunate that his father, Tengku Dr Ahmad Shahrizal Tengku Omar, a senior lecturer at the Faculty of Medicine at Universiti Malaya, received a fellowship to further his studies in New York. The family then moved to the Big Apple last year. Tengku Ahmad Irfan, who is pursuing a double major in piano and composition as well as an elective in conducting at the Juilliard School, is also studying at a normal school, called the Professional Children's School, here. His talent in music came to the fore at the age of seven, and in two years he acquired the certificate of excellence from Trinity Guildhall for Grade 5 Solo Piano and subsequently for Grade 8. -- BERNAMA