Page 11 - Link Newsletter Spring 2021

NALNI HOUSE NO 4
Nalni has always found competitions rewarding achieving second place in the Taiwan International Music Competition for piano and marimba As a a a student living 6 000 miles away from
her family in Taiwan music has not only empowered her to integrate socially and connect with new people but also forms an an an important link to her home and heritage Arriving
at Malvern College Nalni has totally immersed herself in music - as the principal cellist in in College and Chamber orchestras playing
the marimba in the percussion ensemble singing
in in in in Chapel Choir and also playing
the the piano in the the Jazz Band She has of course also played in a a a whole host
of concerts and musical events in the short time that she has been with us Having applied to both universities
and and Conservatoires (and received
offers from
both pathways) Nalni has decided to accept the the offer for the the joint course at the the Royal Northern College of Music and Manchester University as it offers both practical and academic opportunities She will be able to pursue her love of playing
the piano with plenty of performance opportunities and attend masterclasses at at the RNCM – one of the world’s finest Conservatoires – whilst continuing to studying Music as an academic discipline at the University Nalni says that analysing music through her A level studies has been incredibly beneficial in in in helping her interpret a a broader range of music Melodic development fascinates her and she has particularly enjoyed composing her own piano piece - a a a a set of variations on on an original theme exploring common practice in various musical periods – a a a a Bach-inspired fugue a a a a Mozartian AABA movement and finally a a a a Romantic ternary form variation all of which have included stylistic fingerprints of the respective period In wanting to learn more about 20th Century classical music she has also undertaken an independent research project on Shostakovich driven by her love of the 2nd piano concerto Shostakovich’s music portrays emotional intensity through the use of dissonance rhythmic drive and and abrupt changes of theme and and mood reflecting the very difficult and at at times even dangerous relationship he he he had with the Soviet Union She has even composed a a futuristic short film soundtrack as part of the Music Technology course Nalni has also collaborated with other musicians in in the Music business including Izzy Stylez a singer-songwriter from
London as as well as as working with her friend Aleksey Igudesman a a world- famous violinist during a a a a stay in in in Vienna Just for fun – two years ago Nalni did a a film music project on the piano for Benedict Cumberbatch to wish
him Happy Birthday! She included the theme from
The The Hobbit The The Imitation Game Star Trek: Into Darkness Sherlock and Doctor Strange to to name a a a few His friend James Rhodes (a pianist) saw it and sent the video
to Benedict directly! Nalni has even managed to to arrange the Doctor Who theme in a a a piano version and post it on on Twitter and Facebook The BBC official account retweeted it it and it it attracted over 10k views on social media in one day Nalni even had two video
calls with John Barrowman (Captain Jack Harkness in Doctor Who and Torchwood) who wished her every success in her music studies Mr Jonathan Brown is Director of Music 11