Paly junior Alexi Kenney is one step closer to achieving his dream of becoming a professional musician after performing a violin solo on From the Top, a national radio program featuring young musicians, on Oct. 11 on FM 102.1 KDFC.
Kenney performed The Grand Tango by Astor Piazzolla, a contemporary Argentinian tango composer, accompanied by host Christopher O’Riley.
“It [Piazzolla’s music] is just so amazing, especially this piece and how it just fits together,” Kenney said. “You can’t really give it away at the beginning. It kind of unfolds. It [Grand Tango] is obviously a dance, but it always reminds me of a seductive woman coming on stage and showed in by a man later and they just begin to dance.”
Kenney, along with three other high school students who participated in the Heifetz International Music Institute over the summer, performed a solo with a piano accompaniment as a part of FM 102.1 KDFC’s From the Top program in celebration of the program’s 10th anniversary. Dedicated to sharing stories and performances of musicians in secondary school, From the Top “provides a compelling and entertaining window into the world of a diverse group of young people, who pursue life with passion, determination, and joy,” according to the program’s Web site.
Members of Kenney’s family are very proud of his accomplishment, according to his mother Laura Kenney.
“Alexi’s dad and I are very proud of how much he’s accomplished,” Laura Kenney said. “His love of music and his emotional maturity have taken him far, and we hope he’ll continue to share his music with others for the rest of his life.”
Kenney’s passion for music began as early as his infant years, according to Laura Kenney, which resulted from an exposure to many live music performances at a young age. By the age of 2, Kenney knew all the instruments of the orchestra by both sight and sound.
“When he [Kenney] was 4, he talked a lot about wanting to play many instruments,” Laura Kenney said. “I met a violin teacher named Natasha Fong, who taught at the church on the corner of our street and asked whether she taught young kids. She met Alexi and said, ‘He’s ready!'”
Kenney draws inspiration from many contemporary composers, his favorite being the Russian composer Sofia Gubaidulina.
“I actually got to meet her [Gubaidulina] the other month when she came to San Francisco and I watched a performance of her violin concerto,” Kenney said. “She doesn’t speak a word of English, so it was really awkward, but really interesting.”
In the future, Kenney wishes to pursue a solo career and play in a successful chamber-music ensemble, which he has aimed to accomplish.
“He loves playing the violin, especially chamber music, which requires musicians to communicate very closely with each other,” Laura Kenney said. “I’m just happy to see him following his passion.”