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Teenager overcomes odds to win piano competitions

Liu Cheng-yang plays the piano during music class at National Hsinchu Senior Industrial Vocational School Thursday. Liu won the 2007 Taiwan Music Contest after having played the piano for less than two years. PHOTO: HUNG MEI-HSIU, TAIPEI TIMES

Coming from a poor family, 18-year-old Liu Cheng-yang (劉政陽) never thought he would be able to learn to play the piano -- let alone win a championship.

However, Liu has made the impossible possible by working hard, teaching himself how to play and eventually going on to win the the 2007 Taiwan Music Contest, Hsinchu Culture Cup Music Contest and the National Music Contest.

Lizst inspired

Liu, who studies electronics at the National Hsinchu Senior Industrial Vocational School, said the music of Franz Liszt sparked his interest in the instrument.

However, his family was too poor to pay for piano lessons, so he began working at a convenience store nearby at the age of 15.

After learning of Liu's desire to learn to play the piano, the owner of the convenience store gave him a keyboard.

Discovering that Liu has a talent for playing, she allowed Liu to practice with the piano at her house after work.

Liu later shifted to renting a piano room, whose owner then introduced him to pianist Kuo Feng-wei (郭豐維), who studied music in Germany and had just returned to Taiwan to teach.

Kuo decided to teach Liu for free and helped him polish his skills.

pride

"Liu is our pride," said Huang Wei-hsien (黃維賢), president of the National Hsinchu Senior Industrial Vocational School.

"As long as he wants to practice, he is welcome to use any of our pianos for free anytime," he said.

Liu said he still dreams of owning a piano, adding that he hopes to design a new type of electronic piano in the future.
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