Award-winning pianist giving last Cape recital

Tuesday night, Bonan Wang attended the Cape Girardeau Rotary Club's 45th annual John Blue Academic Excellence Dinner, where she and other high school students were acknowledged for being in the top 10 percent of their classes. Awards, however, are nothing new for 17-year-old Wang, who has received several for her prowess in academics and in music.

Now Wang's time in Cape Girardeau is coming to a close with her May 16 graduation. As a farewell gesture, Wang is performing a solo piano recital at 8 p.m. today in Academic Auditorium.

The recital will consist of Bach's Prelude from the Third English Suite, Haydn's Sonata 52 in E flat major, Chopin's Ballade No. 2 in F major and Debussy's "Reflections in Water."

"Over the years there have been a lot of people who have appreciated my gift of music. I wanted to bring them all together for something I've worked hard on," Wang said.

And she has worked hard. While Wang said she is used to practicing the piano about an hour every day, she has worked on her recital pieces for several hours a day since March.

Her piano instructor, Dr. James Sifferman, a professor of music at Southeast Missouri State University, helped her select the pieces, which Wang said are all challenging.

Sifferman has been Wang's instructor since 2002, not long after she moved to Cape Girardeau with her family from Baton Rouge, La., in the summer of 2001.

"I normally don't take high school students, but I could see she was very talented," Sifferman said.

Wang spent the first 10 years of her life in Wuhan, China, where she started playing piano at the age of 4.

At first, Wang only took piano lessons because her mother thought learning an instrument was good for a child's development. Wang admits there were times as a child when she did not want to practice.

Wang said her mother "didn't want me to quit until I got to the level where I could properly assess if I wanted to quit, and I'm glad I didn't."

While she loves playing piano, Wang said she intends to double major in psychology and international relations when she enters the University of Florida in Gainesville in the fall.

"I'll do as much with piano as I can," she said, adding that she would like to continue taking lessons in college and join a music performing group. "I still want to keep doing it, I would never stop."

A career in music, however, is not for Wang.

"It's something I enjoy doing. I want it to be a stress reliever, not a stress causer."

kalfisi@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 182