F.A.C.E. Instructor to Perform at Carnegie Hall

Being asked to play at Carnegie Hall was an opportunity that a young pianist couldn't pass up.

"You always dream of playing there, you never expect to be asked so early in your career," said Danielle "Dani" Wuthrich. "This is defintely a first for me, but it's exciting."

Wuthrich, 25, a piano instructor at the , has been invited to perform with the Guam Territorial Band. It was an opportunity that she never quite expected. She said a friend, who is in his second year teaching music in Guam, invited her to come and play with the band as part of the International Music Festival.

"It's such an iconic place," Wuthrich said. "It's inspiring to be playing in the Isaac Stern Auditorium, the same space so many phenomenal musicians have played."

Wuthrich said they will perform Dmitri Shostakovich's Piano Concerto No. 2, which has required her to memorize about 30 pages of music.

The band and Wuthrich had their first rehearsal together on Friday in Elizabeth City, N.C. Wuthrich said while she constantly runs music in her head, on Tuesday she knows she will still be nervous.

"I get stage fright," Wuthrich said. "No matter how much I perform. I just try to use the adrenaline to make my performance one to remember."

Wuthrich began taking piano at the age of four and performs as often as possible. She currently teaches chorus and general music education at Sevier Middle School and also instructs privately.

She said that while she has been practicing the piece on her own, it was the first time that she had performed with the band and the first time that they have played with her. She said practice was interesting on Friday, as the musicians had to learn to work together. She said after a few tries, it sounds much better and she was hoping for at least one more practice before they made it to New York.

"The Shostakovich piece was written during the 20th Century, during the Revolution," Wuthrich said. "It's very bombastic. There's a lot of speed, technique and it's rhythmically challenging."

Wuthrich said the group would travel to New York on Monday, where she was hoping to see the piano she would be playing and have an opportunity to touch the keys and run a few bars of the music.

"It's very different for a pianist," Wuthrich said. "You are at the mercy of the staff at the facility. If you play the clarinet or the violin, you can play in your hotel room. For me, I at least want to be able to put my hands on the instrument, feel the keys, hear its sound, before you have to sit down and play for the first time."

But Wuthrich said she plans to enjoy the moment.

"Carnegie Hall was not even a possibility," Wuthrich said. "It was always, 'how awesome would it be to perform at Carnegie Hall.' How could I say no? It's Carnegie Hall."

Wuthrich will be enrolling new students this summer. For more information, contact the Fine Arts Center of Easley at (864) 442-6027.