Phnom Penh Post - Child prodigy Amy wows audience at 'Music Festival of Love'

The "Music Festival of Love" symphony concert was held in Phnom Penh recently, with Amy, a five-year-old Cambodian-Chinese girl, performing with the Royal Angkor Symphony Orchestra and wowing the audience.

Sponsored by Cambodia Airways and directed by WoWShowArt founder Raymond Li, the "Music Festival of Love" concert treated those present to a top-level, audio-visual musical delight.

Child prodigy Amy began the sellout concert at the Nations Arts Bayon Academy Theatre in Naga2 with "Croatian Rhapsody", her fingers skilfully flowing across the piano keys like water to earn a standing ovation.

Amy and the Royal Angkor Symphony Orchestra performed classical numbers and songs from well-known films and television series.

The theme songs from animated movies "Frozen" and "Kikujiro", and TV series "Detective Conan" reawakened childhood memories, with Beethoven's "Fur Elise" and Richard Clayderman's "A Comme Amour" stirring the emotions.

Princess Jenna Norodom of the Cambodian Royal Family also beautifully sang two numbers to warm response from the audience – the popular Chinese track "You Exist in My Song" and “Beauty and the Beast“ from the animated feature film of the same name.

And the final performance left everyone spellbound as Amy played "Croatian Rhapsody" blindfolded, with the audience, scarcely believing a five-year-old could be capable of such virtuosity – rising to their feet give another standing ovation.

Amy has said that when she grows up, she hopes to be a professional pianist, with her mother urging her to not "let the piano be a burden, but rather a lifelong friend who can accompany you as you feel the emotions of pianists from hundreds of years ago".

Her mother, who has proven an inspiration to Amy, has said her daughter practised the piano with such devotion that she would sometimes play until falling asleep at the keys.

Combining natural talent with hard work has resulted in Amy attaining such a level of musical ability as to leave people amazed with her performance, and being able to play the piano while blindfolded, fully deserving of the term "child prodigy".

Chinese composer Xian Xinghai said music is the greatest joy in our lives, and Amy certainly delighted the Music Festival of Love audience.

And the warm praise from the concertgoers "honoured" to hear the "little genius musician" in concert with the Royal Angkor Symphony Orchestra also left a deep impression on Amy.

Watch video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8tygkKD_zSU