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Viet Cuong began his journey to becoming a successful composer with a little bit of con artistry.
“My mom put me in piano lessons because she thought it would stimulate my brain,” said Cuong, 32, the Pacific Symphony’s new composer-in-residence. “My parents were in the sciences. They weren’t musicians, but they thought it would be good for me to learn piano.”
Cuong laughed at the memory. “I wasn’t very studious. I didn’t like to practice. And so, the way I started composing is – I would make things up at the piano. It was a way of tricking my mom into thinking I was practicing.”
Cuong’s mother finally caught on to the subterfuge, and the piano lessons stopped. But his fascination for composing continued.
“I joined band in sixth grade. I played percussion. Sometimes people who played piano get (assigned) to percussion because the keyboard has the same layout (as some mallet instruments).”
It turns out that percussion was the perfect assignment for a budding young composer, Cuong said.
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