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Lilian Goh

A professional musician must be able to express emotions through their instrument

Young Post: How did you get started as a pianist?

Bourdeau: I started taking piano lessons at the age of 13, which is quite late compared to many others.

One of my friends got a piano and that aroused my interest.  I pleaded with my father for six months until he finally bought me a piano.

Later on, I chose to study music at university. Since I liked to play with other musicians, they often invited me for performances after my graduation. Since then, I have played for various orchestras. I have also staged solo concerts.

There is another way to become a professional pianist, especially for those who want to be soloists. If they win an international competition, the  media  spotlight would fall on them, and they could be famous within a short time.

YP: What are the qualities of a good pianist?

B: First of all, you must enjoy practising. Sometimes, I practise six hours a day.

Of course, talent is very important to a musician, but it takes a lot of hard work to become a professional, like an athlete.

Second, you must love music from your heart. You need to understand how the language of music works. It is not only about playing the notes, but also communicating emotions through music.

However, you need a lot more  if you want to be a superstar, like talent, the right looks and good competition results.

You need to be in the right place at the right time.

YP: What is satisfaction do you get from being a pianist?

B: Frankly, I get physical satisfaction from playing the piano. My body feels so relaxed when I play. And it is amazing that I can share something with the audience through music. If there are 1,000 people in a hall, that means there are 1,000 hearts reacting to my music, and everyone may have a different feeling about the same piece of music. Besides, I enjoy teaching students to play the piano. This way, I can help develop the music talents of the  next generation.

YP: What kind of difficulties does a pianist face?

B: Pianists, like other musicians, may sometimes feel lonely because they need to travel a lot.  This feeling of loneliness may be greater for solo pianists. Also, we cannot take our own piano to performances.  Therefore, we need to adapt to a new piano every time we perform, which is quite different to  violinists and flutists.

YP: Do you think pop music is a threat to classical music?

B: No, many people still enjoy classical music. I admit that most of the youngsters are obsessed with pop songs because they are fun and easy to listen to, but it is important that  they have more exposure to classical music.

Name: Marc Bourdeau | Occupation: Pianist | Age: 42



Music from the heart