Senior division finalist
Piano, 17
Edvard Grieg
Piano Concerto in A Minor, Op.16, Mvt 1
Ishika Chakraborty is a junior at South Eugene High School in Eugene, Oregon. She is seventeen years old and is a student under Dr. Grace Ho at the University of Oregon. She has been enrolled in piano lessons since the age of five, and has won several competitions including the OMTA Baroque, Sonata and Ensemble Festivals. She has also participated in masterclasses with Dr. Alexandre Dossin, Dr. David Riley and Janina Fialkowska among others, and placed third in the Cris Tapang scholarship. Her other hobbies include painting and writing, and she is currently a member of the SEHS Dorians Jazz Choir.
If you could have any superpower, what would it be? If I could have any superpower, I would be a shapeshifter—I think it would be useful to be able to turn into any animal or object.
What is your favorite musical memory? My favorite musical memory is playing Mozart’s Piano Quartet in G minor with three of my close friends for a chamber music performance in sixth grade orchestra class. It was, at the time, the biggest musical project I had ever taken on without the guidance of a teacher, and the first time I had gotten to play something with all three of my friends on our respective instruments.
Where would someone most likely find you on a rainy Sunday afternoon? Most likely I would be found indoors, maybe under the covers with a hot drink, reading or writing something and on occasion listening to music.
What is your spirit animal? I would say my spirit animal is a black cat.