Friends who grow up together, perform at Carnegie Hall together.
This is the case for Academy of the Canyons sophomores Sanjana Prabakar and Sahasra Ponnuswamy, both 15, who traveled to New York City to play the piano through the International Association of Professional Music Teachers, a program designed to encourage and provide opportunities to aspiring musicians.
Through a competition organized by IAPMT, Prabakar and Ponnuswamy performed as finalists in the standard division on Jan. 19.
“We did a program called IAPMT. The first round, we had an audition. And with that, that was when we got our places, and they chose first place, as well as some selected people to go to Carnegie, and that’s what got us to play there,” Prabakar said.
“Maybe just to be more specific on the actual process of how the competition worked, so we first did a preliminary round, where we recorded a video of us playing our pieces, and then we sent it to the judges to see if we could move on or not. At Azusa University, we did an in-person round where we played the same piece for the judges in person, and then we received our results, which allowed us to go to Carnegie,” Ponnuswamy said.
Prabakar and Ponnuswamy have been friends practically since they were born, due to their parents being friends during their college years.
“I think it was a really good experience because it was crazy that we both got selected. It’s a pretty tough thing to get selected for. I went with [Ponnuswamy’s] parents to New York because they’re my family too, and it was a great time. Even after the performance, we got to go around New York, because it was my first time there,” Prabakar said.
“It was definitely a really memorable weekend. We had so many experiences that I don’t think we’ll ever forget, and it was definitely colder than California. We were definitely not prepared for the cold weather there. Our hands were freezing because we didn’t bring thick gloves, but it was really fun,” Ponnuswamy said.
Prabakar and Ponnuswamy have been playing the piano since elementary school, and find it surreal to see their efforts come to fruition.
“I’ve competed before, but the first time I did it, I got third place so I wasn’t able to move on … When I didn’t get it, I was like, ‘This is a learning curve for me,’ because I knew I always get stage fright right before,” Prabakar said. “The second time I did it, I was able to do much better and the results show that.”
“It was very surreal. I remember the day we actually got the results. I think it was like right after school, and Sanjana told me all the results came out. So then I checked, and I was shocked, because this is actually my first competition. I was genuinely in denial for a bit,” Ponnuswamy said. “It was just a really great experience. We both made friends there — we were able to interact with people there, the directors, and it was just a really great time. It was a bit nerve wracking, but at the end of it, it really felt like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
