The Chilliwack Progress from Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada • Page 19

THE CHILLIWACK PROGRESS, Tuesday, August 1, 2006 1 9 The Progress GENE Jennifer FEINBERG 604.702.5573 jfeinbergtheprogress.com 1 iliHifliMlimilM Phung plays national stage Katie Robinson The Progress If If; irl if Flautist Anh Phung is flying to Ontario for the 2006 National Music Festival, jenna hauck progress Flautist had an awesome year She's the best of Chilliwack, the best of B.C. and now, she wants to be the best of Canada. Eighteen-year-old flautist Anh Phung is heading to Thunder Bay, Ontario this week, to perform at the National Music Festival. The National Music Festival is an annual event that attracts outstanding amateur performers from every province. It encourages the development of classical music in Canada through competition and scholarship.

And its alum include the likes of Gordon Lightfoot, Glen Gould, and Diana Krall. Earlier this year, Phung was sent to perform at the Provincial Music Festival in Prince George after winning the woodwinds category at the Chilliwack Lions Club Music and Dance Festival. And in her category the national provincial category she blew the adjudicators away. "She is just a phenomenal flautist," said Bonnie Mason, chair of the Chilliwack festival. Phung has been playing the flute since she was just four years old, and she's been winning spots at the provincials since she was 12.

"I kinda won my way up," she said. "I won the junior division. I won the senior division. I won the intermediate division. And now, I've won the national provincial division." And she's just the second performer overall that the Chilliwack Lions Club Music and Dance Festival has been able to send to the national level.

At the competition, Phung is performing two pieces by memory: A 35-minute concerto by L. Liebermann and a sonata by H. Dutilleux. "I chose the concerto because it's a really cool piece that's more 20th century, not so old," she said, adding that memorization isn't a big worry. "I was trained in the Suzuki program which focuses on memorization.

"I guess my biggest worry would probably be my competition, the people I'm competing against." And yet, at the same time, that's also her biggest excitement. "I'm looking forward to seeing other people that are my age and at my level," she said. "I mean, Chilliwack has some really great musicians, but to see more people, who are my age and at my level, from across the country, that's just really cool." Jennifer Feinberg Anh, this has been an incredible year for lessons with the famous jazz flautist, The Progress you. What aspect of it are you most proud of? Oh wow, this year has been awesome. It's hard to just highlight one thing that surpasses the rest.

Everything that I did this year was so different from other years. I got to play a lot of jazz this year which is my favourite genre of music to play. I also did a lot of singing. I guess I'm most proud of the fact that I was able to be successful in all my music activities and at the same time, keep my grades up at school. Do you have a busy summer planned? This summer has been pretty busy.

At the very beginning of the summer, during provincial exams, I participated in the Vancouver International Jazz Festival. I played in the High School Intensive Jazz Band which was made up of talented high school jazz musicians from around the province. I got to meet jazz masters from around the world and I even got private Nicole Mitchell. It was an awesome way to start off my summer. I just got back from a vocal camp called Harmony Explosion a few days ago.

It's a camp that focusses on barbershop harmonies and four-part a capella (which means singing without accompaniment). This year, I served as student staff along with my Sweet Adeline quartet, Kiss'Em which is a female barbershop quartet. It was a wonderful experience to be able to coach singers instead of flautists. 1 had a blast! I'm also playing in the Vancouver Star Discovery at the PNE this year with drummer Dylan Weightman. He's an awesome musician and he has impressive stage performance, so I'm confident that we'll put on a good show.

What does it mean to you to have earned a spot to vie for a scholarship this week at the National Music Festival? Continued: ANH PHUNG p21 Here's a interview that Anh Phung managed to complete with Progress reporter Jennifer Feinberg just days before jetting off to the nationals. Phung is one of eight B.C. students heading to the National Music Festival where 51 young musicians will represent Canada, vying for scholarships in one of seven categories: voice, piano, strings, guitar, woodwinds, brass and chamber group. To make it to the nationals each competitor has placed first in a senior or provincialnational class at one of Canada's 230 local festivals. Once they get the nod from a local adjudicator, they've earned the right to compete at the provincial level.

Here, again, they must again receive first place and a recommendation by adjudicators in order to represent their province at the National Music Festival. (3 VJT.i.." j2.