Life's a Symphony

When music is your life’s passion and work, Tengku Ahmad Irfan is content to take each day as it comes and shows that not even a pandemic will stop you from doing what you love most

- Elizabeth Soong

An accomplished classical music pianist, composer and conductor at such a young age, Tengku Ahmad Irfan Tengku Ahmad Shahrizal hasn’t let his achievements go to his head. He remains humble and earnest, not to mention unerringly polite—this is evident from my back-and-forth correspondence with him via email and Whatsapp. He comes across as shy yet open and approachable, but get him up on stage and there’s no mistaking his passion as he runs his nimble fingers on the piano keys or when conducting a full orchestra.

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the 22-year-old is currently quarantined in the house he lives in together with his mum, dad and two younger sisters. They moved to New York when he turned 14, in order for him to get admitted to the prestigious Juilliard School’s pre-college programme. While he still kept up with his online classes with Juilliard throughout the lockdown, he said he misses his regular walks in Central Park and going to concerts. “Even during the busiest times in the midst of school exams, I still watch performances. What I miss the most however still, is the time spent with friends and seeing people face-to-face! There is only so much that social media can do that can never live up to the feeling in real life,” he admits ruefully.