Capturing Hearts with Every Note: Young Pianist Rebecca Tablis on Expressive Performance
- WOMCO
- May 28
- 3 min read
Rebecca Tablis was a Platinum Prize Winner in the Modern A (Under Age 17) Category, at the 2025 Season 1 Francesca Lebrun International Music Competition
Can you introduce yourself and share how you got into music?
I am 15 years old and have been playing piano since I was about seven. My grandad is a professional classical musician, and it was him who originally asked if I wanted to try playing piano. I really took to it, and have been enjoying playing since.
I have been studying with the same teacher - Olga Konovalova - for the last six years, and I am really grateful for her patience and perseverance with me. I practice a fair bit, and about four years ago, I started competing. The sense of achievement that comes from winning a piano competition is really amazing for me.
Could you tell us more about your award-winning work? For instance, how did you prepare it, bring it to life, or any interesting stories behind the scenes?
For this competition, I played Rachmaninoff's Elegy, Villa Lobos' Polichinello and Chopin's Nocturne No 20 in C Sharp Minor. My grandad helped me pick my repertoire. He lives overseas but we stay in touch about my piano, and every now and then, he recommends several pieces for me to learn and I pick my repertoire from those. It is very special for my grandad and I to bond over my piano, over thousands of miles of distance.
I looove the Rachmaninoff. It is both beautiful and technically challenging. Rachmaninoff (the actual composer and pianist) was very tall - 6'6'', and that piece was written for a performer with a massive 'wingspan'. I am 5'4'', but am very proud to be able to deliver a piece that was written for someone who has much longer arms than me! The Villa Lobos is another technically challenging piece. I love that I can let loose and basically play it as fast as I want - there are no demerit points for playing it faster and faster! And I can be silly while playing it - it is a piece about a clown after all. The Chopin is my mom's favourite piece, and that alone is enough for me to want to play it.
What do you believe defines a great Pianist, and how do you incorporate your unique style into your music?
As far as what defines a great pianist, I think there are a couple of attributes. Sometimes, you hear someone play, even in an informal setting - at someone's house, in a mall, at a hotel lobby, or even at an airport, and you notice that people who are milling around become quiet and stop to listen. If one can capture people's attention with a piece of music, even for a couple of minutes, when people are going about their busy lives, I think that's great artistry. And then, the second bit is if your audience wants to hear it again. Sometimes, I play a piece pretty well technically but when I think about whether I want to play it again the same way, or if my audience would want to hear it again, if I am completely honest with myself, I know that I do not, and neither would they. But then, sometimes, I play a piece imperfectly but at the same time really get across a whole bunch of feelings that the piece was meant to stir in the audience, and I then think I really nailed that one.
Would you like to share your experience participating in our competition and anyone you'd like to thank (such as mentors, supporters or other team members)?
Thank you for awarding me the prizes in the three categories - I really appreciate it. And, it was very special to get the Extraordinary Technique Special Award - thank you!
