Meet Allen Ding: The Upcoming Soloist with VAMSO

Meet Allen Ding, a talented classical oboe, chamber music, cello, and piano student! As the winner of the Kay Meek Competition, Allen will take the stage as a piano soloist with the VAM Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Ian Parker. He will perform Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 3 on Sunday, February 16, at 2:00 PM in the Orpheum Theatre. At VAM, he studies with Geronimo Mendoza (oboe), Ian Parker (chamber music with the Pi Trio), Joseph Elworthy (cello), and Amanda Chan (piano).

You’ve achieved many impressive milestones at VAM. Can you tell us what being the winner of the Kay Meek Competition means to you, or share a highlight from your experience?

One moment from my experience that still stands out to me was warming up about 15 minutes before my scheduled competition time. I went upstairs to a practice room and played a few scales until my fingers had warmed up. With 10 minutes left, I didn’t want to practice too much because I was scared my hands would tire out. So I listened to a recording of Yuja Wang playing the concerto’s 3rd movement, and I don’t know what it was about room 8, but it felt like I was listening to the piece for the first time. Going downstairs, I just remember thinking, “So that’s what the 3rd movement is supposed to be!” The recording reignited my passion for the piece, and I just wanted to share my interpretation of it with the judges.

You’ll soon take on the role of a soloist with the VAM Symphony Orchestra (VAMSO). How does this experience compare to performing as part of the orchestra?

I feel very lucky and grateful to have these incredible opportunities at VAM. Playing as a soloist with an orchestra is a completely different experience from playing as part of an orchestra — there’s a lot more room for musical freedom and flexibility. Soloing with an orchestra is a unique experience that can’t be replicated anywhere else. That being said, I think being part of an orchestra was also a very formative experience for me (having played in both the string and wind section). It helped improve my musicality by giving me a much better understanding of timbre, colour, and balance.

Why did you choose Prokofiev, Piano Concerto No.3? Can you detail what stands out to you about the composer and the challenges the piece presents? How are you preparing for the featured solo?

I chose this piece because I really love it. The opening is one of the most instantly recognizable themes in all of classical music, the second movement has a surreal transition back into the main theme, and the third movement is a frenzied, dance-like movement that grows increasingly deranged. For me, Prokofiev treats the piano in a really percussive way that’s very unique. His music is very energetic, raw, and almost primitive in some parts. This piece has a lot of great pianistic moments, but my favourite is the ending of the first movement. I find the biggest challenge is clarity and standing out against the orchestra since the nature of Prokofiev’s music requires everything to be perfectly crystal clear and rhythmic. I’m practicing a lot to prepare, of course, but I also enjoy listening to recordings of other great pianists (including Martha Argerich, Yuja Wang, and even Prokofiev himself!)

What advice would you give to students who will be competing in the 2025 Kay Meek Competition?

Just get up and play! Choose a piece that you truly love and want to share with the judges and audience.  And practice a lot, of course. When the competition day arrives, don’t stress out too much about the competition or the judges — just play your best and share your interpretation of the piece with the judges. For me, truly loving the piece and wanting to share it with the world led to my success. My piano teacher, Ms. Chan, was very supportive and helped me every step of the way despite me initially being unable to get past the first page. In addition, I find that studying chamber music gave me a completely different perspective on playing and listening (the Pi Trio’s lessons with Ian Parker were always helpful, not just for chamber music, but for solo piano playing as well).

Why should people come to see this concert?

There’s a lot of great music in the program! The Prokofiev is one of the most viscerally exciting piano pieces of all time, but we’re also playing the waltz from Sleeping Beauty and Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5 both some of Tchaikovsky’s most iconic work. The ending of the 4th movement of Tchaikovsky’s Symphony is incredibly powerful and one of my favourites. I also think it’s very important to attend lots of concerts to improve your musicality and playing style — I go to a lot of VSO concerts and find it incredibly helpful for self-improvement. The power of music is very different when listening live compared to listening to a recording!