by Kyaw Kyaw Tun

The Gitameit Music School held a Mozart tribute night on June 11th and almost 100 visitors crammed themselves into an upstairs auditorium to watch the student pianists and violinists work their magic. The recital named "Mozart Festival and More" was presented by music teacher and Gitameit founder, Kit Young, and her students and included several great composers including Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Diaiel Gottlob Turk.

Ms Young led the performance wearing a black t-shirt and a Myanmar longyi and told the audience, "Sometimes when we listen to music that isn’t familiar to us, it all sounds the same and we can’t hear the differences and details in each song. By organizing a concert that focuses on Mozart’s music and other pieces from the early classical period, we are focusing on each composer’s individual style so that our students can gain a greater understanding of each piece," she said.

The concert started with a choir of students singing two songs, Guitar Man and Music, You Are a Friend to Me. The choir performed in four lines made up of sopranos, tenors, alto and bass lines and was made up of children of all ages. They sang beautifully and the crowd seemed very impressed. Then a 15 year old Maung Maung Lay performed a sonata entitled Miniature Rondo by Diaiel Gottlob Turk. Maung Maung Lay’s performance was followed by a host of other students who performed classical pieces on the violin and piano.

Some students and teachers performed duets including a recital of Sonata in E Minor by Mozart from teacher U Moe Naing on the piano and student Thet Su on the violin. The concert climaxed with a duet between Ms Young on the piano and the well-known Myanmar violinist U Tin Ye. The pair performed Mozart’s Sonata in A Minor and were awarded with loud applause from the audience.

Ms Young said she finds Mozart’s music moving. "It’s always a joy to play chamber music and an inspiration to play Mozart. Some of our programs’ pieces were composed by Mozart when he was very young and some were from the last part of his life (he died at age 35)."

Ms Young said concerts are an important way of improving your talent. "A music concert is similar to a journey in some ways. You may recognize only some landmarks, you may be in strange surroundings, but you always move forwards through discomfort and learn by opening your ears and eyes."