Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/208710
39 maltatoday, THIS WEEK SUNDAY, 10 NOVEMBER 2013 Passion for the piano Young pianist Charlene Farrugia speaks to us ahead of her piano recital at San Anton Palace, Balzan, where she will be closing off the Three Palaces: Celebrating Music festival When did you first realise you wanted to play the piano? Music has been important to me ever since I can remember. My mother remembers me stopping in my tracks whenever I heard the piano being played on the radio, or saw an orchestra perform on TV... this was when I was still a toddler. Funnily enough, I started doing ballet, but before too long, I was bugging my mother for piano lessons! I was told that I needed to wait until my sixth birthday. How did you feel about being the youngest soloist to ever perform at the Manoel Theatre? My debut with Malta's National Orchestra at the age of 13 is a very memorable performance for me. I had performed Mendelssohn's 1st Piano Concerto under the baton of British conductor Jonathan Butcher. The performance was received by a standing ovation and after this successful debut, my career really took off! What are some of the most important things you've learnt from your experience so far? Making it, career-wise as a pianist – or as any other musician, really – can be very difficult, musically, intellectually, mentally and financially. However, thinking of a life outside music makes me mis- Palaces: Celebrating Music Festival. Future engagements include performances in the Balkans, the Far East and the US. Charlene Farrugia will be playing works by Chopin and Schumann. Entrance to San Anton Palace is free today, though a donation to the Community Chest Fund is appreciated. Concert starts at 16:00. The festival is organised by the Office of the President in collaboration with the Parliamentary Secretary for Culture and Local Government Download the MaltaToday App now Charlene Farrugia erable. There is nothing like the thrill of learning new repertoire, of feeling the audience's response to a performance and of meeting great musicians from around the world. Also, I strive to transmit my life experiences through my music. I'm a deeply emotional person, and I think that music is a channel for my passions and hopes. What's next for you? At the moment I'm really looking forward to my solo recital at San Anton Palace as part of the Three