My Chopin Moment

Picture this: a teenager, a Chopin Nocturne CD, and an audacity only a high schooler can muster. That was me. My piano teacher had suggested an "easier" piece for the annual SYMF competition—a safe, predictable choice that wouldn’t require hours of practice or strain my fingers. But then I heard Chopin’s Nocturne No. 8, and it was love at first listen. It was lush, romantic, and complicated as hell. Naturally, I had to play that one.