This article originally appeared in the fall 2015 Harker Quarterly.

In mid-August, Nathan Liu, grade 4, and Tiffany Zhao, grade 9, traveled to Germany to play piano at the Sulzbach-Rosenberg Interna- tional Music Festival.

During a student concert held in the town hall and open to the public, Liu and Zhao played a duet (a Brahms waltz) together, in addition to doing solo performances. Liu had the distinction of being the youngest musician invited to the festival.

While in Germany both Liu and Zhao were able to learn skills from many top international musicians, as well as spend time at a historic music school which was remodeled from a medieval castle.

“I learned how to cooperate with other musicians, as well as train my ear to listen to other people and play accordingly. It was also a great experience to mentor a younger musician,” Zhao said.

Liu concurred: “I learned a lot from the more experienced musicians. Overall, it was an unforgettable two weeks!”

To view their duet: https://youtu.be/ HUXzL16Fg9M.