Great musicians are born out of the convergence of passion and talent as is exhibited through junior Matthew Hahn’s musical journey. At the age of four, Hahn was introduced to the piano and ever since then he has expressed his passion for playing with a dedication and discipline that is rare.

Hahn’s innate talent for piano was nurtured over the years through hours of instruction and dedicated practice. Taking his skills and passions to the next level, Hahn began performing competitively at the age of nine. It wasn’t long before he gained recognition for his superior level of artistry and performative skill.

Hahn continued to grow as a pianist and notes that it was at the beginning of his freshman year of high school that his musical career reached new heights.

“I really felt my musical career kick-off when I debuted with the Oistrakh Symphony of Chicago after winning the DePaul Concerto National Competition in 2021,” said Hahn.

As a junior in high school, Hahn has garnered national and international acclaim for his piano mastery.

He was recently recognized as a 2024 YoungArts Award Winner, which is a highly selective award and sought-after honor for young musicians.

YoungArts winners are selected from over 9,000 applicants and are reviewed by a panel of esteemed artists. The winners receive expert creative guidance and support throughout their musical careers from members of the YoungArts community.

In addition, Hahn has accumulated an impressive number of accolades and awards, including most recently being selected as a Grand Prize Winner of the Chicago International Music Competition. He was also a First Place Winner of Enkor International Music Competition.

He has also won the Bradshaw and Buono International Piano Competition, and the Walgreens National Concerto Competition, as well as many other prestigious titles.

“Matthew Hahn is a very unique pianist; very sensitive and has a great command of the instrument,” said Marta Aznavoorian, Hahn’s piano teacher. “Besides having excellent technique, he also possesses artistic sensibilities and communicative musicianship well beyond his years.”

Hahn expresses that his love for the instrument is what has led him to excel as a pianist.

“When I did competitions it always pushed me to excel, but my passion for the instrument was the key driver to my success,” said Hahn.

Hahn’s passion for playing and his desire to improve as a pianist fuels his dedication to a rigorous practice schedule.

As a Merit Scholarship Fellow of the Music Institute of Chicago Academy – a selective, advanced program for pre-college musicians – he practices at Lake Forest College with other Academy members every Saturday all day.

“The Academy is an excellent community for classical musicians who are performing at a high level,” said Hahn.

During the school year, Hahn practices for two to three hours per day in addition to his time with the LFHS Jazz Band. Over the summer months, he practices for an average of seven to eight hours daily.

One of Hahn’s fellow musicians at the Academy, a cello player Simon Updegraff said, “[Hahn] is very smart and hard-working. He’s a great performer because he is both a technical and a musical player, and he is very fun to watch.”

All of Hanh’s dedication and commitment to piano mastery has paid off. He has been selected to perform in masterclasses for renowned professors and other world-class musicians, including Dang Thai Son, Jerome Lowenthal, and James Giles.

Hahn has also had the honor of performing at some of the most prestigious concert venues in the world including Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall, Merkin Hall at the Kaufman Music Center, and Warner Concert Hall at Oberlin. He was further honored to receive an invitation to perform at the Beethoven House in Bonn, Germany.

Playing the piano has opened many doors for Hahn, creating memorable experiences and leaving a lasting impression upon him as to the power of music to transform, heal, and uplift.

“Not only does piano allow me to play a vast range of repertoire but I think just music in general, piano is an outlet for my expression, it can transcend so many different cultural boundaries. It’s very transformative. It has the power to heal. There have been numerous studies on that,” said Hahn.

Hahn and his fellow musicians from the Luminos trio – who have been featured on Chicago’s premier classical radio station (WFMT) –  were selected to participate in the PACman concert series, as Ambassadors for Chamber Music. In this capacity, they presented an interactive performance workshop for an underserved, at-risk elementary school in South Bend, Indiana.This experience had a profound effect on Hahn and inspired him and two of his friends from the Academy, Simon Updegraff and Jan Vargas Nedvetsky to form a 501(c)(3) non-profit fundraising organization, “Musicians for Hope.”

Their mission is to raise money for underfunded music programs in underserved communities and schools in the Waukegan, Chicago, and North Chicago area.

As devoted musicians, the group has personal experience with music’s power to enrich and shape lives and they hope to provide support for school programs working to bring music education to children and youth.

“Music education in general helps increase engagement at school. They have done studies to show that music education in underserved communities boosts literacy rates and academic success in the classroom – through music education, we can uplift communities and the youth,” said Hahn.

To raise funds for underprivileged communities the group will perform at various venues, and all ticket sale proceeds together with donations from attendees and the community will be directed to bring musical education to those in underserved communities.

They are planning to perform their first concert in January.

In terms of how many communities the group is looking to impact, “the sky is the limit,” Hahn said.

As a Fellow of National Public Radio’s From the Top, Hahn has expanded upon his dedication to improving the lives of others through music through his participation with Ryan Seacrest Radio, which provides musical programming and other content to young patients at Children’s Hospital Colorado.

Whether he pursues a professional career as a musician or not, “Music will always be a very important part of my identity and my life,” said Hahn.

Whatever the future holds for Hahn, he’ll continue to embrace the transformative power of music as a means of personal expression and channel his musical capabilities to positively impact the lives of others.

This story was originally published on The Forest Scout on December 13, 2023.