Creating Music in the Moment: Elen Rapoport Brings Improvisations to the QVB
- Apr 16
- 3 min read
28 March 2026, Queen Victoria Building – The 5th QVB Classical Pop-Up concert stood out thanks to the involvement of guest pianist Elen Rapoport. Alongside her fiery rendition of Chopin’s Fantaisie-Impromptu, she involved the audience in a unique music-making experience by improvising. She spontaneously composed and performed music based on the emotions, scenes, and even random notes that the audience provided on the spot.
Complementing this spirit of spontaneity were the performances of our participating young musicians. We welcomed back several familiar faces, along with one new addition: violinist Khang Mai, performing with Concerts for All for the first time. The other three pianists, Alexander Liu, Angel Quingaiza and Symphony Shi, are regulars whose technical and musical performances only seem to improve each time they participate.
The Program
The afternoon began with Alexander Liu, who set a high bar with a challenging Scarlatti sonata. The piece demanded precision and control, marked by rapid repeating notes, cascading runs, and a rhythmic intensity that grabbed the audience’s attention from the first note.
The energy of the Scarlatti then gave way to Angel Quingaiza’s lyrical performance of Chopin pieces. While he chose recognisable pieces, his interpretations had a sincerity that communicated well with the listeners. We were treated to the glistening tune of the Aeolian Harp (or Harp Study) and the melancholic, sometimes hopeful, Nocturne No. 20 in C-sharp minor.
Shifting the focus from the keys to the strings, Khang Mai then performed Bach’s Partita No. 1 on the violin. "This is quite an unusual piece because it’s unaccompanied," Khang told the audience while introducing the Sarabande and Bourée. "The violin has to play the melody, the harmony, and the bass line all at once. In a way, that makes it really difficult, but it also can be really beautiful." What followed was a stately performance of the Sarabande, while the Bourée was played with a lively lilt.
Returning to the piano for the final performance was Symphony Shi. Already known for her stunning technique and musicality, Symphony has a magnetic capacity to pull an audience into the music. Her interpretation of Mozart’s Sonata No. 18 was eloquently articulated and phrased, clearly coming from a place of deep musical understanding. Symphony fully utilised the tonal colours of the piano that Concerts for All donated to the QVB in October 2025 could produce.
Chopin & Improvisations with Elen Rapoport
Everyone involved was thrilled to welcome Elen Rapoport as a guest artist. She is renowned not only for her classical music performances but also for her improvisations. As a board director for Concerts for All, she is passionate about promoting the beauty of classical music and the joy of music-making. She captivated the audience with a fiery rendition of Chopin's Fantaisie-Impromptu; although the piece is already known for its technical flair, Elen performed it with such intensity that it maximized the piano's dynamic range. Her performance was fiery yet still delicately nuanced, keeping the crowd enthralled.
Beneath the intricate interpretations and discipline necessary for performing classical music lie the skills needed for music creation: composition, arrangement, and the most spontaneous of them all—improvisation. "In the past, composers were adept at improvising and even promoted it. It was a common practice among musicians. We want to revive this tradition," states Yichao Ma, the director of Concerts for All.
Elen did several improvisations, each for emotion (sadness), scene (rain), experience (someone has just won the lottery), and random notes provided by the audience (E-flat, F, G, C-sharp, B-flat). Because words cannot fully capture the wonder of creating music on the spot, we suggest that you watch Elen craft them yourself – fortunately, these one-of-a-kind improvisations have been recorded:
Improvisation: "Can you play something sad?"
Improvisation: Rain
Improvisation: "Someone's just won the lottery" (and hasn't told anyone yet)
Composing on the spot with random notes! (~3 mins)
Audience Feedback
We received such encouraging and heartwarming feedback from an excited audience member. It was her first visit to our QVB Classical Pop-Up Concerts, and we are thankful to learn that she had a wonderful experience.
About the performers:
"Absolutely amazing! It's the first one I've been to and I will definitely come to more, because to hear these young players is electrifying. They are just so, so, talented. It was a pleasure, a real joy to hear them."
About Elen's improvisations:
"That's so clever. So clever. My only regret with that is that we'll never hear that piece again beacause it's a one and only, but such talent and enthusiasm. That's what I love. Really good."
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