Name: Tammy Wu
Age: 9
Birthplace: Reno, Nevada, USA
Biography
Tammy Wu is a 4th grade GATE (Gifted and Talented Education) student at Peters Canyon Elementary School in Tustin, California. When Tammy began taking music lessons at the age of 6 1/2, she immediately showed a strong aptitude for learning the piano. With her remarkable ability to focus and concentrate during practice, she quickly built a strong foundation upon which she could learn and perform increasingly difficult pieces with amazing skill and dexterity.
At 8 years of age, Tammy performed her debut solo recital at the Opus119 recital hall and became one of the youngest student to pass Certificate of Merit Level 9 with high honors with only 2 years of study. Her performance included, Aaron Copland’s, “The Cat and the Mouse”, Bach’s Italian Concerto, and a complete Mozart sonata, among other pieces. In addition, in March 2006, Tammy was selected as the youngest member of a 25 member piano ensemble who set a new world-record at the Irvine Barclay Theater with her friend, Lyon Lazare. Tammy toured China with her fellow pianist friends from Opus119 in 2007 and received high remarks from the music critiques.
Tammy has many friends, including several who are also learning the piano. Because of Tammy’s reputation for understanding the teacher’s complex instructions she has been repeatedly asked by her peers to explain interpretation and technique in a way that they, too, can understand.
"8 year old Tammy playing Copland at the Opus119 Hall on the Bosendorfer"
Current Repertoire
D. Kabalevsky - Piano Sonata No. 3
D. Kabalevsky - Piano Concerto No. 3 Youth Concerto
J.S. Bach - Italian Concertoin F Major, BWV 971
J.S. Bach - Piano Sonata in D Major
A. Copland - The Cat And The Mouse
A. Copland - Three Moods
F. Chopin - Nocturne in c# minor, No. 16
F. Chopin - Prelude No. 3 & No. 13
E. MacDowell - Alla Tarantella in C minor, Op. 39, No. 2
E. MacDowell - Witches’ Dance “Hexentanz”, Op. 17, No. 2
W. A. Mozart - Sonata in G Major, K 283
W. A. Mozart - Sonata in C Major. K 330
W. A. Mozart - Sonata in C Major, K 545
W.A. Mozart - Concerto in D, K 488
Competition
Tammy has competed in local and state competitions with impressive results. Judges have repeatedly commented that her power, technical control, as well as her musical lines and phrasings are mature well beyond her years.
3rd Place - International Russian Music Piano Competition
1st Place - MTAC Irvine Concerto Competition
2nd place - 2008 Glendale Piano Competition
2nd place - 2008 Emerging Artist Piano Competition
Winner - 2008 South California Bach Festival Regional
1st place - 2007 Cypress College Piano Competition
1st place - 2007 Emerging Artist Piano Competition
1st Place - MTAC Irvine Contemporary Festival
1st Place - 2007 California International Young Musician Competition (12 & under )
1st Place - 2007 Chinese - American International Music Competition ( 9 & under )
1st Place - 2007 MTAC Irvine Classical Festival
Honorable Mention – 2007 Bradshaw and Buono International Piano Competition
Winner - 2006 Southern California Bach Regional Competition
1st Place 2006 California-Nevada District Exchange Club Talent Competition / District
1st Place - 2006 Ca-Nev. District Exchange Club Talent Competition - Regional
Grand prize - 2006 Ca-Nev. District Exchange Club Talent Competition - Finals
Winner - 2006 Southwestern Youth Music Festival, Open Solo
Winner - 2006 Southwestern Youth Music Festival, Open Baroque
Winner - 2006 Southwestern Youth Music Festival, Open American
Winner - 2006 Cypress College Piano Competition / Contemporary era
Winner - 2005 Southwestern Youth Music Festival, Qualified Solo
Performance History
Kabalevsky Youth Concerto No. 3 - UCI Symphony ( Fall 2008 )
Central Conservatory of Music Concert Hall (Beijing, China 2007)
Tom Lee Hall (China, 2007)
Debut Solo recital at Opus119 recital hall - November 2006
World-record setting 24 pianist performance - Irvine Barclay Theater - 2006.
Talent Show - Peters Canyon Elementary School
Getting to know Tammy
What are some of your favorite things to do when you are not practicing piano? “My favorite thing to do IS practicing piano! Time just passes by quickly when I’m concentrating on a challenging part of a piece. I love good challenges. Other than piano, I do chess. My parents think I spend too much time thinking, but I don’t think so. Oh, I also like to have play dates with my friends.”
What is the hardest part about being such a young pianist? “One time, there was going to be a really neat world-record breaking piano concert, but I was too young to play with the ensemble. I begged and begged, and I promised to work harder than anyone else. They finally let me play and I was soooo happy.”
Who does your pet hamster really belong to? You or your sister? “I’m the one who wanted a hamster first, and I’m the one who begged and begged until we got Chester. But my sister feeds him and gives him water since I forget a lot. So. I guess it belongs to both of us.”