Revision as of 15:00, 22 July 2012

The Obligatory

Yo. Instead of writing poetically about who I am, I'll list some things which interest me. For completeness, also things that certainly will not interest me.

Interests

• Math. In addition to being a math major I'm somewhat involved in high school math competitions: with Damien Jiang I lead grading for AoPS and USAMTS, I've taught at Idea Math, and have also graded various olympiads for the AMC, including grading at MOP. I am also an officer on HMMT, see below.
• Mario Kart. Possibly the only video game at which I ever had any level of competence (and the only video game I in which I care to gain any competence).
• HMMT. I'm one of the problem czars for February 2013, and you should definitely let me know if you're interested in writing problems. Otherwise, if you're interested in volunteering or in any other aspect of the competition, you can let me know; I'll try to fill you in.
• Music (see below). Specifically western music since Bach: Performance, History, occasionally Theory. I even did a UROP in computational musicology and atonal music. You might hear me blasting chamber music with my door open on hall. I also go to a lot of concerts (around 20 freshman year), including BSO college card concerts, so definitely let me know if you want to go sometime.
• Sports. I'm always down for a game of badminton or basketball. I'm a Celtics and Patriots fan, nominally a Red Sox fan but over the years I've found baseball more and more boring. I would love to go to a sports game sometime in the near future.
• Cooking. I especially like trying new recipes provided the ingredients are reasonable.
• Running. Took it up relatively recently, did a 5-miler in April 2012, looking to enter some more races in the future. Let me know if you ever want to run together.
• TV shows that don't suck. I've been looking for someone to marathon Friends episodes with for ages.
• Feed it.
• Stupid things you can do when someone tries to pound it with you, e.g. snail.
• Lexington, MA and how it's way better than wherever you grew up.

Non-interests, in contrast with the interests of many other hall members (sorry)

• Computer Science
• Video Games that aren't Mario Kart
• All of the stupid shit people say on hall because other people say the same stupid shit on hall

Classes, by Semester

• Fall 2011: 7.012, 8.022, 18.100B, 21M.011, 21M.445
• Spring 2012: 18.102, 18.901, 18.952, 21M.301, 21M.445
• Fall 2012: 18.705, 18.712, 18.905, 21M.302, 21M.445, 21M.480

Music

I'd like to think that much of the time other hall members spend playing video games, I put in to music (Alas, I'm guilty of both playing too much Mario Kart and sucking at it). My main instrument is and always has been piano, but I played violin in high school and occasionally can be heard sawing away on Vlad's violin. I was an Emerson Scholar in 2011-2012, hopefully an Emerson Fellow from Fall 2012 onward, and also play in Chamber Music Society. Somewhat for my own reference, I've documented my past and future performances on piano, so as if you give a shit:

Past Performances

• September 2011: Prelude and Fugue in B-Flat Minor, WTC I (Bach). 21M.011 Recitation.
• October 2011: Sonatina, Sz. 55, BB. 69 (Bartok). MTNA Quad-State Convention Masterclass, Medford, MA.
• November 2011: Ballade in F Minor (Chopin). Michael Lewin Masterclass, Lowell, MA.
• December 2011: Piano Sonata in C Major, Op. 53 "Waldstein" (Beethoven), I; Berceuse and Finale from L'Oiseau de Feu (Stravinsky/Agosti). Emerson Piano Recital.
• December 2011: Piano Trio No. 1 in B Major (Brahms), with D. Zhang, violin, and K. Miller, 'cello. Chamber Music Society Concert.
• May 2012: Piano Sonata in C Major, Op. 53 "Waldstein" (Beethoven), II/III. Studio Recital, Boston, MA.
• May 2012: Fantaisie in F Minor (Chopin). Emerson Piano Recital.
• May 2012: Piano Trio No. 1 in D Minor (Arensky), with D. Zhang, violin, and K. Miller, 'cello. Chamber Music Society Concert.
• June 2012: Piano Sonata for Four Hands in D Major, II/I (Mozart), with A. Yuan, piano. MOP Talent Show, Lincoln, NE.

Upcoming

Ask me for more info if you want to come! I usually send out e-mails about the ones that are more important to me.

• October 2012: Piano Sonata in B-Flat Major, I (Schubert), Victor Rosenbaum Masterclass, Boston, MA.
• December 2012: "Trout" Quintet in A Major (Schubert), with D. Zhang, violin, C. Chang, viola, ?, 'cello, and M. Chen, double bass. Chamber Music Society Concert.
• Spring 2013: Piano Sonata in B-Flat Major, D. 960 (Schubert), Fantaisie in F Minor (Chopin). Emerson Solo Recital.
• Spring 2013: Etudes, Op. 25, Selections (Chopin). Studio Recital, Boston, MA.

Things you should listen to

Just so this isn't entirely about me, here are some links to some of my absolute favorite pieces of music; take a listen! May add more later.

• A boy and a girl (Whitacre). A short choral work, with incredibly beautiful, unique, and dense harmony so characteristic of Whitacre's music.
• Etudes, Op. 25 (Chopin). Nominally studies in piano technique (which they certainly are), but also one of the most significant artistic achievements in music.
• Piano Concerto No. 21 in C Major (Mozart). He wrote a lot of them and I've listened to relatively few, but my favorite so far.
• Piano Quintet (Dvorak). Probably my favorite piece of "true" chamber music, very pleasant and easily listenable.
• Piano Sonata in B-Flat Major, D. 960 (Schubert). The most divine opening measures I've ever heard; the rest is pretty sweet too. My big performance project for 2012-2013.
• Piano Sonata No. 7, Precipitato (Prokofiev). The awesome (and short) finale of an otherwise mediocre (at least in my opinion) work, it speaks for itself. If you want a challenge, try to guess the time signature without looking at the score.
• Requiem (Faure). If I'm lucky, they'll sing this at my funeral.
• Romeo and Juliet (Tchaikovsky). A musical retelling of the Shakespeare play for orchestra; you may recognize the "love theme."
• Sonata for Violin and Piano (Franck). I think by far the greatest work ever written for solo instrument with piano - the dialogue in the last movement is breathtaking.
• Violin Concerto (Beethoven). One of the reasons why I regret my lack of skill in violin.
• Violin Sonata No. 1, Fuga (Bach). Where the hell Bach got the idea to write a three-voice fugue for a one-voice instrument I have no idea.

At some point this may become more than really stupid lists of information, and/or may be formatted better. Probably not soon, however.