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Thank Yu for the music! Child prodigy accepts new UEL award

Friday 12 September 2008

Nine-year-old piano prodigy Marc Yu gave a special concert on Friday 29 August to celebrate his acceptance of the first ever Genius Scholarship Award, a new annual prize established by the University of East London’s (UEL) SMARTlab Digital Media Institute in partnership with RITSEC, the Middle East’s leading centre for technology and innovation.

Marc, an internationally renowned piano virtuoso, performed works by Chopin and Rimsky-Korsakov at St Mary le Bow Church in London. After the recital, he was presented with an engraved vase by Professor Lizbeth Goodman, Director of SMARTlab, and Dr Hisham El Sharif, RITSEC Director and benefactor. 

The new Genius Scholarship Award aims to honour and encourage creative genius in all of its forms and, in particular, to develop young talent. Professor Goodman has been appointed Head of theAward's Judging and Mentorship Panel and will mentor Marc over the coming year.

Professor Goodman said: “Marc is truly a ‘born genius’ – he began playing aged two and can now perform over forty classical pieces from memory, with enormous energy and skill.

“The Genius Scholarship Award has been created to honour exactly this kind of talent, and to encourage young gifted people like Marc to become ambassadors for creative expression all over the world.”

Marc’s SMARTlab recital was filmed by Channel 4 for a forthcoming series on extraordinarily talented children. He followed it with a performance alongside celebrated pianist Lang Lang at the Proms, and a visit to UEL’s Multimedia and Games Innovation Centre at the Docklands campus, where he was presented with an interactive music box built by SMARTlab artist/engineer Toby Borland.

Marc, who lives in Los Angeles, said: "Winning this scholarship will help me to continue to train as a pianist and my goal is to promote classical music and peaceful ways of living to young people around the world."

UEL’s SMARTlab Digital Media Institute aims to develop new technologies connecting creative people in all regions of the world, irrespective of age, gender, nationality, wealth, or intellectual and physical ability. For further information, visit www.smartlab.uk.com.

For details and pictures contact Daniel Cherry: 020 8223 2194

Notes to Editors

The University of East London (UEL) is a global learning community with over 28,000 students from over 120 countries world-wide. Our vision is to achieve recognition, both nationally and internationally, as a successful and inclusive regional university proud of its diversity, committed to new modes of learning which focus on students and enhance their employability, and renowned for our contribution to social, cultural and economic development, especially through our research and scholarship. We have a strong track-record in widening participation and working with industry.

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