Pianists and other people from all over the world visit our web site and so
we’ll ask you some questions that may seem banal to an American, but, just as
information about other cultures interest us, so information about us
interests people in other cultures.
You were born in 1987 so you’re nearly seventeen years old. How long have
you been playing the piano? (People always want to know: wow! really? I wasn’t
doing anything at that age!)
I’ve been playing the piano for about 11 years. When I was quite little,
I used to go see my cousin have lessons at the piano teacher’s house, and
whenever she was done, I would play around with the piano, hitting random
notes without a clue. My parents decided I was fated for the piano, hence at
the age of 5 I started getting piano lessons.
Do you play other musical instruments? Tell us about that.
I play the violin in my school orchestra though I must admit that I am
quite terrible at the violin. About two years ago, I started playing guitar,
mandolin, and the keyboard for a little band my friends and I made together.
Who is your favorite composer? For playing? For listening?
Tough question. For playing, I thoroughly enjoy any Rachmaninoff or
Prokofiev pieces. For listening, I enjoy Chopin’s Barcarolle only, Brahms,
any Rachmaninoff or Prokofiev, Liszt, Ravel, or Debussy. I also enjoy
listening to violin and cello pieces, including Franck’s Violin Sonata
transcribed for the cello, Sibelius, Tchaikovsky, and Brahms.
Have you tried composing?
Yes. In the start of the school year, I became part of an honors program
where in which I decided to write a symphony. Being ambitious and excited, I
thought the process would be quite simple since I had many ideas “brewing”
in my head. A couple of months later, I realized writing a symphony was
impossible, so I cut it down to an orchestral composition for strings only.
This became a little easier.
We Americans are notorious for not learning other languages. Are you an
exception?
What other language(s) do you speak? Are you fluent?
I can speak English, of course, Korean, Farsi, and Spanish. My mother is
from Korea, and my father is a native of Iran. Although I can’t speak Farsi
as well as Korean or Spanish, I am still able to understand what others say.
Did you study it or them in school?
I studied Spanish in middle and high school. I studied Korean at a little
Korean school that I attended for 5 years. I studied a little bit of Farsi
in an Iranian school for 5 years.
Does your family speak it or them?
My mother speaks Korean, my father Farsi, and both of them can speak a
litttttle bit of the opposite language. My grandmother also lives with us,
so she can speak Korean fluently. My brother can speak Spanish quite
fluently (he is 15) and can kind of speak Korean and Farsi, but not very
well.
To what other countries have you traveled?
I have never traveled out of the states yet, other than Canada, but in
the end of June, I am going to St. Petersburg and Moscow to perform a solo
concert and an appearance with the St. Petersburg Philharmonic.
Do you have sisters and/or brothers? What ages?
I have one brother who is 15 years old.
Are they musical?
If so, what do they play?
He is not that musical although he can understand music very well. He
plays violin, almost as bad as I, in the orchestra.
If not, what do they like to do?
For the most part, my brother likes sports. He attends many of the
Chicago Bulls’ games, as well as the Chicago Cubs’ games. He is also an avid
memorabilia collector and collects autographs, sells them, and owns a
“company” with his friend where in which they both sell and collect
autographs together.
Do you like to read? Who is you favorite author?
I love to read. My favorite authors include Anthony Burgess, Stephen
King, John Grisham, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and William Faulkner.
Regarding the discovery of the mental connection between talents for music
and mathematics: Are you mathematical?
I think that I am quite good with comprehending and understanding math,
but in my mind, I feel it is becoming quite one-dimensional and boring in
high school. Luckily this year, I have a better teacher and I am learning a
whole new world of mathematics that is much more in depth, and it is quite
interesting.
If so, what branch of math do you like best?
I like all of math and the ways in which they are all connected.
What are your interests other than music?
Sports? Which ones? Do you play?
Science? What fields?
I play a couple of sports including lacrosse and football. My piano
teacher does not advocate this participation in sports because I may injure
my fingers and such, but I truly enjoy these sports. I am also quite an avid
fan of Biology and Chemistry and have been doing some research in genetics
and DNA manipulation which are both my favorite topics in science.
Our local newspaper has a section on food. What’s your favorite dinner?
Another tough question. My father’s Iranian dishes are quite amazing,
ranging from chicken in a pecan sauce, shish kabobs, and many assortments of
rice. I do not enjoy Korean food as much. My favorite food to eat is tacos.
Breakfast is a problem for many Americans to the amazement of more
traditional cultures. What do you eat for breakfast?
A bagel with a bottle of water and a cup of milk.
Do you cook? If so, what do you like to cook?
I do not cook, and am not capable of cooking.
Does your family have a favorite recipe?
Yes. My father and mother both make the ultimate best shrimp in a tomato
sauce with onions and garlic. Amazing.
Thanks Kevin. We look forward to meeting you and hearing you play.
Kevin Kordi
