AUNICEF fundraising concert at Heritage Woods secondary this Saturday will feature a series of classical pieces composed by Coquitlam resident Gene Emerson.
Emerson, who will be making her concert debut accompanied by members of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, has already gathered a significant following on YouTube. Her channel has collected nearly 10,000 subscribers and a whopping 220,000 hits from around the world.
In fact, most of those hits are from a surprising audience - teenagers like Emerson herself. The young composer is just 14 years old, a Grade 10 student at Heritage Woods.
"I think it means our teenagers are opening up to classical music," said Gene's father, Eugene Emerson.
Emerson started playing the piano at four years old and had penned her first piece by the time she was eight. The last two years have seen a burst of creativity as Emerson crafted about two dozen new works; each one is inspired by everything from daily life to historical events or global issues, such as climate change, war and international relations, leading her to title her YouTube page Music Link with Humanity.
"It just starts tumbling out," Emerson said of her inspiration.
The concert will feature one of Emerson's most successful pieces, Tears of Nanjing, a trio written for piano, cello and violin that has garnered some 56,000 YouTube views and nearly 3,000 comments. Playing the latter instruments will be Vancouver Symphony Orchestra members Zoltan Rozsnyai on cello and Reg Quiring on violin.
Emerson said the piece was challenging given that she doesn't play either of the stringed instruments, but figures she's listened to enough classical music to know what they should be doing.
"You just need to know how many notes they can play, and after that it's just what sounds pretty," Emerson shrugged. Working with such accomplished musicians has been a tremendous learning experience as well, she added, because Rozsnyai and Quiring can give her valuable feedback when her compositions call for notes beyond the instruments' capabilities.
"It's really flattering to know they appreciate my music as well," Emerson said. "They really seem to enjoy playing my pieces and they treat me like a fellow musician, so it's really nice.
And with recordings of Emerson playing her compositions online, she's also receiving feedback from fans, and fellow composers, from around the world.
"It's great because I couldn't go and talk to them," Emerson said, adding she's happy to incorporate changes and suggestions from international composers.
Emerson is deeply involved in Heritage Woods' music department, having joined the band, choir and musical theatre programs. HWSS music teacher Kathy Fester had high praise for Emerson's talent, calling her compositions "outstanding."
"She's highly respected internationally," Fester said. In fact, Dutch composer Baz Odink was so taken with Emerson's work that he created a piece last year called Of Russia and Canada: A Story in Two Micromovements and dedicated it to Emerson.
Emerson is entering several international composer contests, including the Antonín Dvorák Competition in Korea, the ninth international Competition for Composers in Italy and the BMI Student Composer Award Competition in New York. Emerson also performed in the Sonic Boom student composers master class with acclaimed composer Owen Underhill.
The concert is a first for Heritage Woods, Fester said, and will come with all the hallmarks of a professional show, complete with ushers, intermission and concession.
"It's very exciting," she added. 'And it's my wish as a music educator that it inspires teens today to have a renewed appreciation for the old classics and the new classics Gene is creating."
Emerson's piano teacher, Rosemary O'Connor, said she couldn't take any credit for her student's compositions.
"I put a fire into her as far as loving music, but the composing part is completely coming from her own initiative," O'Connor said. She described Emerson as naturally musical with a melodic style.
"She has a really beautiful sound and for me, it's a reflection of the person's personality, how it comes out in their sound," she said. "She's a wonderful person."
Emerson said she plans to continue composing but, after graduation, she has her sights on something entirely different - studying theoretical physics at Oxford University.
A Night of Classical Music with Gene Emerson is on Saturday, April 14 at Heritage Woods secondary (1300 David Ave., Port Moody). The matinee show is at 2 p.m. and an evening performance is at 8 p.m. Tickets are $15/$10 , available by calling the school at 604-461-8679. Proceeds benefit UNICEF Canada.
