Warming up

Today is piano day at the music festival. She had band this morning so we had to rush out, despite her being quite tired from yesterday’s amazing adventures. We managed a bit of practice time after lunch before we went to pick up B. We watched some other sections before it was her turn.

This was the first time she’s done pedalling in a competition and she was a little worried she’d stuff it up. She needn’t have worried, she was stunning from the first note. Her first piece was The Swan. As the adjudicator said “she had the audience from the second she sat at the piano and you could have heard a pin drop in the quiet atmosphere she created”. She said she played with an amazing maturity. Her second piece was stylish and fabulous the whole way. She got the highest mark she’s ever got in competition - and it was the highest mark of the first two days of the festival.

I took her to get a bit of tea before we came back for her duet with B. The two of them had decided to wear their matching pink NCO hoodies. They disappeared off to practice and came back both bouncing. Their duets were also fantastic. The adjudicator loved how exciting Katie finds the Trepak. The atmosphere in their quieter first piece had been wonderful too. The adjudicator commented on the connection they have as a duet pair. They won with a fantastic mark.

Katie loved the whole time even more because the guest adjudicator was a pianist she’s loved since she was 6 years old, when she’d seen her in concert and Libby had allowed Katie to play the concert Steinway. I was stewarding for the evening session so katie watched the rest of piano day and got to chat to Libby a while, had a play on the piano for a bit in one of the quiet times. Then after the final class, the festival director asked me to stick around.

She asked if I could bring Katie to the final night class on Thursday. Because katie is being awarded the trophy for most outstanding pianist in the festival. We were both blown away. She skipped all the way to the car, with a huge grin.