Sherry Shieh, Boston University (2002-2003)

Photo courtesy of Godfrey Zwygart

After earning degrees in music at Indiana University Bloomington, I enrolled as a doctoral student at Boston University to study with Dr. Di Bonaventura. He was my “last” piano teacher before I venturing out in the world and the only one who really demonstrated what discipline and perfection meant in the realm of music.

Following my studies, I moved to Taiwan and worked as a composer - releasing several award-winning albums in my hometown. I then began a second career path in film production and scoring. Apart from classical music, movies have been a childhood passion of mine.  I became a contributor to MUZIK, the world's largest classical music publication for Chinese-speaking regions at the time where I had the privilege of interviewing many classical celebrities such as Joshua Bell, Tamas Vasary, Lang Lang, YoYo Ma, Philip Glass, Pascal Roge, George Fenton, etc. I wrote many interviews, album release and concert reviews, as well as other articles for my monthly column, which mainly focused on film scoring, classical music & romantic stories.  

I had written an article for Dr. Di Bonaventura and always wanted to invite him to Taipei. If I remember rightly, I did get a YES from him, however, traveling for an Asia tour took some bigger planning and promotions. We both got busy and disconnected, and then he passed away. I always regretted for not having seen him play in Taipei’s National Concert Hall as I was sure he would move so many people as he did me. 

I conducted many film concert seminars while in Taiwan (I think I did about 100 film-concert lectures a year) to educate modern listeners. I realized Classical Music was dying worldwide and the only way to get people’s attention back and gain new fans was to use a popular medium to demonstrate the art and influence of classical music to big screen. Ever since I began doing this since 12 years ago, I’ve had nothing short of a full house in every performance. People love watching movies and listening to stories with the music - it adds a lasting impression as well as understanding why certain scenes are scored in certain ways, or how Bach and Mozart would have direct influences on film scoring. I had a plan to write a book on film music this year but my work just got too busy. Film music was a new direction and extension for my love of classical music, and that was how I went into composition, film scoring, screenwriting, producing and eventually starting 2 film studios in Taiwan. It all comes back to Mr. D., really!

I recently moved back to the US and have a new venture in digital marketing in NYC, Leading Bull Solutions (www.leadingbull.com). I am still musically active (www.sherryshieh.com) and recently released a single, Winter Tale, performed with cellist, Adrian Daurov inspired by the short film, “Pere et Fille”. I am a long-time member and volunteer for the Rotary association, both in Taiwan and New York. 

I hope you will enjoy reading my account of a story Prof. di Bonaventura shared with his students many years ago - a truly inspiring figure!

A Lesson To Remember

Sherry Shieh (February 27, 2004)

It was the summer of 2002, and I was sitting in Colby College's chapel listening to the seventy-three year old Anthony di Bonaventura conducting his piano master class. Within a month's time I would be studying under him as his youngest Doctoral student and one of the only five pianists who were accepted by him at the Boston University. I was both excited and proud to have been chosen by Professor di Bonaventura, realizing his international prestige as one of the greatest piano masters in our time and his impossible musical standards.

"Today I want to tell you a personal story." The class was all-eared. We knew nothing except words of wisdom was going to come out of the Maestro's mouth. Indeed, it was a story I would never forget- the personal struggle of a young man in pursue of music and its ultimate beauty. 

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When Anthony di Bonaventura was thirteen, already a music prodigy playing with the New York Philharmonic and other first-class orchestras in the world, he knew he had everything going for him- brilliant techniques as well as a mature artistry were launching him an international performing career at a very early stage of his life. At sixteen, Anthony was introduced and urged to study with the world-renowned teacher Mme. Isabelle Vengerova, whose disciples then included Leonard Bernstein, Sydney Foster, Gary Graffman and other leading musicians of the twentieth century. The arrogant young Anthony thought he would just need to do some polishing up with Madame and then he would be ready for the world stage again in no time. But Anthony was completely wrong. This small but stern lady changed his life forever.

In the first lesson Madame told Anthony flat out that everything he had been doing in his life about piano playing was all wrong; there was only one true way to play the instrument as it should be played, and she was going to teach him that. Before Anthony could recover from this shocking news, Mme. Vengerova told him another: "Stop playing the piano altogether for two years. One must forget about the past before he can start learning new things." So, in the following months the poor young man worked endlessly on fingers, muscles, body positions -everything except the piano. The piano lid was closed forever and there was no more Beethoven, Rachmaninoff, Liszt or Chopin to show off his virtuosic playing and woe audiences. It was perhaps the darkest period of his life, because no one (including Anthony himself) could understand how he could have gone from playing with the world's leading orchestras in the finest concert halls to a nobody who did not know a thing about piano. But Anthony was determined to pursue the utmost perfection and beauty in music, and he realized Madame was the one person who could give him answers to the truth. Fortunately, within a year Anthony progressed so well that he was granted to play the piano again. Exhilarated, he received his first piano piece in months: a C major scale.

Anthony toiled on the instrument for hours a day just to perfect these seven notes on the keyboard. He spent days, weeks, and months practicing the simple C major scale with painstaking effort. By this time Anthony had transformed from a prideful and self-centered pianist to a very humble and insecure young man. Intimidated by the sight of Mme. Vengerova as always, Anthony one day walked into her studio head-low and sat at the piano. Mme Vengerova was sitting far from the piano, but he could feel the sharp beams projecting from her eyes. "Now play."

So, the moment of truth had finally come. Anthony played the C major scale with his entire life, followed by a long pause in the room. It seemed like decades before Madame finally broke the silence: "ALL WRONG. This is all wrong. You cannot play the piano. You simply do not know how." Every word stabbed him so hard in the heart. Anthony could not believe his ears. After having had so many mental struggles and self-doubts, and spent months working so hard on a stupid scale, this was what Madame could tell him? He felt he was sentenced to death, because the only thing he ever wanted to do in life was to play the piano, yet the authoritative master had judged him unfit for the instrument.

That night, standing in the platform of the Philadelphia station waiting for his train back to New York, Anthony seriously thought of jumping down and throwing himself at the train. He was too devastated to see any hope in his future. What was the meaning of his life if he were deprived of the only thing he loved?

At this point of the story, I found myself lost in deep contemplation. Professor di Bonaventura did not have to finish the story to let us know the meaning of it. In the beginning of his studies with Madame and completely unaware of his own ignorance, Anthony thought he was already on the summit of the mountain. Only having had met yet another great master did he realize how far off he was from the making of a great musician. Madame's harsh teaching methods forced Anthony to understand that being just satisfied and proud of his current achievement would actually cripple his musical ability to strive near perfection, although at the same time it almost discouraged him from laying his hands on the piano again. Fortunately, Anthony captured Madame's true intention and went on with his persistent efforts and gifts, or we would be at a great loss of a true master like him. 

It is indeed amazing to know how much will and courage it takes for one to give up and forget everything he has ever had in order to pursue the ideal realm. Every master we see playing on stage had gone through similar pains and struggles as Anthony di Bonaventura. They either had to give up or lost many precious things in life to become the great artists they are now. I was deeply inspired by this story, because in my life and all around me I was fortunate to witness great musicians devoting their entire lives on just doing one thing right- to find the closest possible point to music perfection, and to transform its ultimate beauty to the meaning of life. It is such a strong faith that you can feel even from the air around these people; they are so uncompromisingly determined to find the truth, that they are willing to dedicate a whole lifetime to it- and to me that is simply incredible.

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"Courage, Sherry. And have faith." -This became a motto from Professor di Bonaventura in my lessons, as I was experiencing the same struggles in the year studying with him. And like how Mme. Vengerova had changed him, I felt the one year studying with di Bonaventura changed my whole being before and after. I do not think I can ever find this kind of teacher again, but of course that will be another story to tell