Carmen and Chantal Peng of Wolfville, seen here at St. James Anglican Church in Kentville, are sisters who share a passion for music. Both have performed as pianists at New York’s iconic Carnegie Hall. KIRK STARRATTKENTVILLE, N.S. — Sisters Chantal and Carmen Peng of Wolfville share a passion for music, and a unique accomplishment as pianists.
She said performing at Carnegie Hall is a huge honour that she never would have expected. It’s a major goal of most musicians to play there, and she now has a check list of other venues where she wants to perform.The family drove to New York, leaving following a violin performance by Chantal and Carmen on June 24 at a Kings-Hants Liberal Association fundraiser hosted by Lightfoot and Wolfville Winery. The event featured National Defence Minister Anita Anand.
Carmen said just before she was to play on June 26, she felt nervous and feared she had forgotten her music. She said she began to pretend to play “air piano” and fortunately remembered how to start the piece. The butterflies went away once she walked on stage. Carmen is currently an ARCT-level piano player in the Royal Conservatory of Music Certificate Program. The ARCT and LRCM are the highest academic standings awarded through the program. She hopes to write her exam in August.
This included some simple yet sound advice, including not to forget to use the bathroom before going on stage. Carmen said she appreciated the insights. She said there was a practice piano for performers to warm-up with before going on stage, and she told her sister about it. Carmen said knowing this helped calm her nerves.
Chantal said she wasn’t nervous going into her performance at the famous New York venue. She was more excited to explore the building, although she didn’t really get much of a chance to do so. Chantal said the hall is very nice, and it was interesting to see how the stage décor hadn’t changed since 2015.
She said the experience was the first time she got to meet other young, like-minded pianists from around the world. Orchard Valley is temporarily located in the former Sears space in the County Fair Mall in New Minas while the church undergoes a major renovation project.