Young and gifted: 8-year-old pianist to take the stage in Everett for her first concert with full orchestra

Published 2:39 pm Wednesday, January 21, 2009

There’s no telling where Adrienna Tran-Pearson got her musical gift.

Her mother, Loan (pronounced Lon) Tran-Pearson, said her husband, Jon, played when he was young, and that their daughter at 8 years old has already surpassed him.

“She’s really gifted and very intellectual,” Loan Tran-Pearson said. “She’s in third-grade math but she can do up to a five- or six-grade level. She is very stimulated by challenges.”

This Sunday, Adrienna welcomes a new challenge and thrill: to play piano for the first time in concert with an orchestra.

At 3 p.m. Sunday at the First Presbyterian Church of Everett, 2936 Rockefeller Ave., Everett, the Port Gardner Bay Chamber Orchestra will present a concert featuring several soloists from the 2008 Snohomish County Music Teachers’ Association Concerto Competition. Tickets are available from any Snohomish County Music Teacher Association member and at the door. Admission for adults is $12, $9 for students. For more information, call 425-377-0623.

Adrienna will perform the second movement of the Mozart Concerto in F Major. Though she is playing Mozart, Adrienna said her favorite composer is Chopin.

“He’s expressive and challenging,” Adrienna said. “It’s fun to play it, and it sounds pretty.”

When asked what she thinks the word “gifted” means when people use it to describe her, she answered “talented.”

“When I hear that, it makes me feel good,” she said.

Adrienna attends third grade at Soundview, a private school for gifted children in Lynnwood. She has studied piano with teacher Gail Tremblay for more than a year. She participated in Music in Action for Snohomish County Music Teachers Association last year and won seven ribbons. Four were first place.

Loan Tran-Pearson enjoyed listening to classical music growing up in Vietnam but her family couldn’t afford to buy her lessons.

When she realized her daughter had a gift, she quit her job as a software engineer to devote time to Adrienna, while Jon Tran-Pearson continued to support the family as a senior marketing director. Then came a grand piano when Adrienna turned 41/2, followed by private lessons.

Adrienna said she practices her piano about two hours each day, in between homework, drawing and reading all sorts of adventure stories such as the Paddington Bear series. It would seem she started playing the piano for the same reason her mom did.

“I listened to a lot of classical music,” Adrienna said, “and I wanted to learn how to play because it’s challenging and fun.”

Theresa Goffredo: 425-339-3424 or goffredo@heraldnet.com