Young Albuquerque musicians get chance to perform in London

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Some young musicians recently traveled from Albuquerque to London, to perform at a famous venue in the world-renowned city.

The musicians are students at the Albuquerque Institute of Music, including Sophia and Ethan Zeng who started playing piano two years ago.

In June, the Zeng siblings, ages 10 and 8, performed on Elton John’s piano during the Elena Cobb Prize Festival at the Royal Albert Hall.

“I think there was 30 or 40 kids from all over the world out of hundreds or thousands,” father Jason Zeng said.

Teacher Jennifer Stull submitted the Zengs, Elena Schwartz, Alexis and Mila Limary to be considered for the festival – and organizers admitted all of them.

“It was not what I expected. I expected, you know, maybe a couple of them, but they all were accepted,” Stull said.

After some fundraising for their big trip, they made it to London – and it was like a dream for everyone.

“It really opened their eyes. Mine, too, because this was my first time in London,” Jason Zeng said.

Finally, it was showtime.

On a stage that has seen the likes of Eric Clapton, Adele, Albert Einstein, Winston Churchill and others, the students wowed their teacher.

“They played so well and I was just so excited! After one of the performances, I heard someone behind me say, ‘Wow!’ and that just made me feel great. You know? It’s like, they, they did it. They really did it,” Stull expressed.

If you’d like to learn more about the festival and the Royal Albert Hall, click here and here.