Growing up, my family always enjoyed music, though none of them were particularly musical. My mother would sing to me when I was little, and she would often include works regarded with classical origins (Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star, and Ode to Joy among many others). My father has always had a great love for music as well, regaling us with stories of the times he lived by the Royal College of Music in London. When I asked to take piano lessons at the age of eight, my mother reluctantly enrolled me in a group piano class with several other young children. She worried she’d have to constantly remind me to practice or drag me to lessons.
But as she often says now, me discovering music was like a fish discovering water.
From the beginning, music felt like home—an unwavering, natural part of my life. I threw myself into lessons, not because I had to, but because I wanted to. I practiced for the joy of it, for the challenge, and for the sense of connection it brought me. Over time, my appreciation for classical music and its composers has only deepened. I feel a profound connection to them—Liszt, Chopin, Brahms, Rachmaninov, Skrjabin, Mendelssohn, Debussy, Beethoven, and Mozart. My experience as a pianist provided me the undeniable proof that music is truly the universal medium of expression. I plan to continue making music in hopes to evoke the same desire to learn and improve as I have experienced.
Watch Alejandro Miguel Reyes perform Rondo Capriccioso, Op. 14 by Felix Mendelssohn on the piano for the 2025 Summer Music Competition as part of the Charleston International Music Competition.