This week on Young Artists Spotlight we hear a performance by Bakersfield pianist Kelsey Jian. Kelsey Kelsey Jian was born in Lawrence Kansas. She moved to California with her family when she was eleven years old. She has two sisters. Her older sister Stephanie, who is currently studying Optometry at Berkeley, is a phenomenal pianist. Her younger sister Anna is also a talented pianist. Kelsey started taking piano lessons at the age of five and was told that she had perfect pitch. She was the winner for her age group in KMTA (Kansas Music Teaching Association) audition at the age of nine. Kelsey and Anna are currently studying piano with Bonnie Bogle Farrer, who was a student of Rosina Lhevinne at Juilliard. Kelsey also plays the violin and is a member of the Warren Junior High School Orchestra and the Bakersfield Youth Symphony.
Her favorite hobby is reading. She loves fantasy books. She says, “Books take me to a wonderland where I can be in an imaginary world.” Math is her favorite school subject. She enjoys music, friends, and family.
Her parents are supportive of whatever she is involved in. Her mother Charlene Hu is an administrator at California State University Bakersfield and her father Jay Jian is a hydrologist working for the United States Geological Survey.
