Dubai: Gadeer Abeidoh, 18, sits amid a sea of pianos. She has named each one in The Music Chamber, Crowne Plaza, by which composer sounds best on which instrument.
The young Palestinian taught herself how to play the piano, and has been involved with music since she was three years old. At the tender age of five, she learnt how to read musical notes.
The discipline is something that runs in the family, she told Gulf News in an exclusive interview. Her father is currently a percussion teacher in the aforementioned music store, and he also plays the oud (stringed instrument).
"Whenever he played the oud I would be dancing around and enjoying the music. I think music in general is something that moves us all, whether we're three or 300 years old," she said.
Abeidoh plays to Grade 8 standard on the piano — the highest grade available in the ABRSM practical examinations (Associated Board of the Royal School of Music) before diploma level. She then took her diploma in music performance at age 16.
From violin to piano
She first started playing the violin, but continued with the piano from age 10.
"It [the violin] wasn't that appealing to me. The thing about the piano that I'm most comfortable with is that you get to use a lot of logic and a lot of maths — that challenges me in the mental sense".
She started enjoying classical music after the age of 13 — an age when "most people run away from classical music".
Abeidoh started studying Russian composers such as Rachmaninov and Prokofiev after passing her Grade 8 exam.
"This freedom allowed me to enjoy classical music all the more, but it put a lot of responsibilities on my shoulders at the same time," she said, "eventually I found it so rewarding to see the outcome, so fruitful. I just love it".
Although she has had guidance, she hasn't had any formal musical education and she calls herself a self-taught student.
"I'm blessed to have a family that's full of artists, full of musicians, full of people who know what they want me to do and how to guide me," she said.
Abeidoh graduated from Al Rashid Al Saleh school in Dubai and decided to take a year off for reflection. The year really confirmed her love for music and her ambition to keep playing music.
The raw talent of the enthusiastic musician has now earned her a place at Berklee College of Music, Boston, on a merit scholarship. She travelled to Kuala Lumpur for the audition and found it "comfortable" performing for the adjudicators, doing some ear training and sight reading (playing a piece of music that you've never seen before straight away).
With two semesters per year, each costing $16,000 (Dh58,769), Abeidoh is unsure that she'll be able to fund herself for the duration of her course. While she has a partial scholarship, this will only give her a discount of $8,000 (Dh29,384) a year. With living costs included, she estimates the total amount she needs to raise is $52,000 (Dh191,000) a year.
The course at the Berklee lasts for either three or four years — at the entrance exams this is determined depending on the student's talent.
So what will happen if she can't afford to fulfil her life's ambition? "When I got the letter saying that I was accepted, I was surprised as anyone. I didn't feel like I could get into one of the best schools in the world!"
Help her: Searching for support
Abeidoh is currently looking for a sponsor to help fund the first year of her study at Berklee College of Music in Boston. After the first year there are more opportunities for students to compete for further scholarships.
"I'm hoping someone can help me out. There are a lot of people here in the UAE [who] are willing to support classical music," she said. She will be holding a recital on June 9, in the hope of finding a sponsor for her training in Boston. Details of the location will be available at a later date.
