When sophomore Vivian Luo gave a piano performance at the famed concert venue of Carnegie Hall in New York on the weekend of Sept. 26, she could feel the pressure of playing at a national level surging through her as she carefully pressed down on every key with just the right amount of force.

After playing the piano for over 10 years, Luo’s hard work finally paid off as she was able to show her talent for the instrument in front of a group of over 500 professional musicians. Luo was selected to perform after winning the 2015 American Fine Arts Festival (AFAF) Competition.

On the day of the performance, Luo played a melodious piece, a Sonata by Scarlatti, which required months of practice to perfect.

“This piece was exceptionally difficult because it required each bar and line to be mastered which took thousands of tries,” Luo said.

Luo was one of 197 pianists accepted to perform at Carnegie when she submitted an audition clip in the past summer. Out of thousands of other submissions, her performance was one that was exemplary enough to be selected by AFAF.

To prepare, Luo followed a rigorous rehearsal schedule, where she practiced for two or more hours on weekdays and up to four hours on weekends.

Luo said the experience was stressful because she had to prepare during the school year while also balancing other extracurricular activities. Along with the workload of sophomore year, the hours she spent practicing often took away from important study time, and it became hard to balance education with music.

Throughout her performance, the other musicians also showed exceptional skill and it was intimidating to watch and wait for her own turn, Luo said. Although she knew she had earned her place to play at Carnegie Hall, she still felt nervous when seeing others practice.

“I was also very nervous because we came in at midnight the day before the show and I was very tired,” Luo said. “I also didn’t prepare the day of [the performance], so I became frightened when it was my turn.”

But stage fright is nothing new to her. She started playing the instrument at age 5, and from then on, her parents drove her to weekly lessons and occasional competitions.

In addition, Luo’s talent extends the piano. She also enjoys playing the flute, her instrument for the school’s marching band program.

Luo is looking to pursue piano through the rest of high school and possibly for the rest of her life.

“I might not continue piano for a professional career, [but] I know that I will always continue it as a hobby,” Luo said. “Although it can be very time consuming, coming off the stage is the best feeling in the world.”