The Department of Music and Theatre Arts will be presenting Sierra Link’s student piano recital at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 30, in the Gantner Concert Hall of Haas Fine Arts Center.

Link is a third-year piano performance student and said she grew up in a very musical household, where her family introduced her to that world at a young age. 

She began learning piano when she was 5 years old. She was taught French horn when she joined the school band at age 10. Link was also involved in indoor drumline in high school, where she played the marimba.

Now in college, Link focuses mainly on piano and horn. She said she considers piano to be her primary instrument but continues to play ensembles with her horn on the side.

Link has been writing her own piano music since she was young, around the same time that she began playing in her school’s band. She applied the techniques she said she learned in her piano lessons while creating her original compositions.

“Because my family introduced me to music at such a young age, I would always have melodies in my head and would be humming all the time,” Link said. “Eventually, when I learned how to play an instrument, I finally had a medium through which I could place the humming.”

According to Link, although she is currently a piano performance major, composition is still a devoted passion of hers and it helps her prevent burn-out. Now that she is older, she gains inspiration for her writing through the experience of different emotions.

“I think it’s why we make art,” Link said. “Art is so complex and the human experience is so complex, so being able to portray something and write in a way that doesn’t require words has been helpful for me.”

Link has been working closely with piano professor Namji Kim throughout her time at UW-Eau Claire. Kim attended The Juilliard School to earn her bachelor and master of music degrees, and she later received her doctorate of musical arts degree from the Manhattan School of Music. 

“[Link] is probably one of the hardest working people I have ever met,” Kim said. “She does a lot of activities beyond her classes and excels in everything.” 

Link is also involved in the Blugold Marching Band where she plays the mellophone and piano. She has also performed piano at the Viennese Ball. Her upcoming performance, however, will be her first solo recital at UW-Eau Claire.

“This is the first time where I’m putting on a program that’s just me,” Link said. “This isn’t just an event that I’m performing in, this is my recital.” 

Kim and Link collaborated to choose the pieces for her recital. She will be playing various works from Claude Debussy, Ludwig van Beethoven, Franz Liszt, Frederic Chopin and Johann Sebastian Bach.

Link said she has tried to acquire a deeper experience with as many composers as possible during her time in college, but she felt most drawn to Chopin and Liszt. 

For her recital, Link will be playing Scherzo No. 4 by Chopin, one of the longest works that she has ever performed as well as the most technically challenging and the hardest to interpret. However, it is also the piece that Link said she is most proud to present.

“[Kim] has opened my eyes to the infinite possibilities of artistry and expression,” Link said. “It’s nice to have a teacher with that musical sensitivity, and it feels like I’m getting the most out of my college experience with her.” 

Kim said the advice she has given to Link about playing live is all about gratitude. Being grateful to the audience for taking the time to listen and for the opportunity to play such beautiful music will help with performance anxiety, according to Kim.

“Nervousness is normal and will always be there; it shows that you care. If you didn’t care, you wouldn’t be nervous,” Kim said. “One of [Link’s] traits is her acute sensitivity to music, and it reflects in a beautiful and refined tone on the piano. She feels music on a very deep level.” 

Despite the stress of preparation, Link said that she has really enjoyed the process. She has enjoyed seeing where her dedication can lead her and witnessing her passions come to life.

Link’s plan is to attend graduate school, receive both her masters and doctoral degrees in piano performance and pedagogy and become a piano professor. She said that this career path choice has been greatly influenced by Kim and her other current instructors.

“I’ve developed so much passion for expressing myself through piano that I feel an increasing desire to want to share that and teach others,” Link said.

Matczak can be reached at [email protected].