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From an early age, Juilliard alumna Sylvia Jiang began amplifying a rebellious attitude. Despite her family’s affinity for music, she was initially discouraged from taking piano lessons, which of course only strengthened the 4-year-old New Zealander’s resolve at the time.
“My mom was a big classical music fan, but she did not push it on me in any way. [But] we kind of always had music, like different music, playing around the house,” Jiang recalled. “One time we were kind of out and about, I think in some shopping mall or lobby somewhere, and I saw someone playing the piano. … And I was like, ‘Hey I want to play.’”
Jiang’s mother didn’t believe her daughter would enjoy sitting in front of a piano for formal lessons, partly because it was hard to keep her still in general.
“She—because I was a very hyperactive kind of child—was like, ‘Maybe not. I don’t think this is going to go well,’” Jiang said. “I think that maybe, because she said no, I kept bugging her about it.”
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Photo courtesy of Muffin Music
PIANO PERSUASION: Professional piano instructor and concert soloist Sylvia Jiang had to persuade her parents to let her take piano lessons at a young age. Self-described as “a very hyperactive kind of child,” Jiang was adamant about learning piano, and her persistence paid off.
Her mom eventually gave in and began teaching Jiang herself. She committed to practicing with her daughter at least once a day.
Jiang’s earliest instructions were “wiggle each finger. … We’re just going to wiggle each finger on the keys, and then, yeah, eventually here I am,” said the professional concert pianist and music instructor.
At 18, Jiang’s acceptance to Juilliard brought her from New Zealand to the U.S. During her college years, Jiang took on a fellowship with the Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara, where she mentored and befriended composer Davis Reinhart, who grew up in Buellton and now resides in Los Angeles.
Reinhart introduced Jiang—a New Yorker since her Juilliard days—to the Santa Ynez Valley, which became ground zero for a nonprofit initiative the duo embarked on in 2022.
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Photo courtesy of Muffin Music
NO PLACE LIKE HOME: Currently based in Los Angeles, professional composer, musician, and Muffin Music co-founder Davis Reinhart grew up in the Santa Ynez Valley. While attending Santa Ynez Valley High School, Reinhart was a member of the school’s jazz club and theater group.
The goal of the program is to help facilitate music-based offerings for local youth in the valley, through workshops, concerts, and summer camps—programs Reinhart wishes had been available to him growing up.
“I realized by the time I got to college that there truly was a huge gap as far as what was offered by the public school system I had gone through. Only in high school was there ever an opportunity for students to take a band class and actually learn instruments, apart from the recorder,” Reinhart said over email. “Local school districts are constantly struggling to retain music teachers and grow a program. So, Sylvia and I created Muffin Music to really focus on helping support this community through music and try to revamp excitement toward music education.”
Between April 9 and 12, Reinhart and Jiang will participate in their latest Muffin Music residency program, in which both musicians will visit multiple schools across northern Santa Barbara County to host free demos for students of various grades and ages.
“I’m still working with schools on solidifying all of our visits, but the goal is to visit students in Buellton, Solvang, Lompoc, and Santa Maria,” Reinhart said. “We always try to perform at some capacity, and if that’s not possible, then we will run a workshop of some kind including musical activities for students, or prompt discussions about what professional musicians do.”
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Photo courtesy of Muffin Music
HOUSES OF THE HOLY: Two upcoming concerts will showcase performances from trumpeter Davis Reinhart and pianist Sylvia Jiang. Both will be held at local churches in Santa Maria and Santa Ynez.
During the evenings of April 11 and 12, the duo will perform a free concert program at Unity of Santa Maria and Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church in Santa Ynez, respectively. They’ve taken part in similar performances since Muffin Music’s start three years ago.
Periodically flown in from New York for these occasions, Jiang described traveling to Buellton and other parts of the valley as stepping into “a little piece of suburban heaven dotted in the middle of all these giant highways.”
“It’s a really friendly place. I’ve always had a great time in the valley,” Jiang said. “So much beautiful nature. … The food is good. The people are nice. There’s lots to do.”
Send comments and muffin tops to Arts Editor Caleb Wiseblood at [email protected].
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