Inside a prodigy’s mindset ahead of her Italian concerto appearance.
By: Alexander Fedorov
NEW YORK – Days before stepping onto the stage at Teatro Cinema Centrale to perform Edvard Grieg’s thunderous Piano Concerto in A minor with the Orchestra Sinfonica di Sanremo, pianist Belle Chi projects an unusual kind of stillness.
While many soloists describe the final week before a major European orchestral engagement as a blur of adrenaline, Chi approaches the countdown with quiet, surgical certainty.
“Everything is under my control,” Chi says when asked how she manages the pressure of leading a full symphony orchestra through one of the Romantic repertoire’s most demanding showpieces. “Nerves usually come from leaving things to chance. Once you’ve lived inside every single measure, mapping out every orchestral cue and testing every phrase until it becomes second nature, the anxiety disappears. The preparation is already done. Now I just get to enjoy making music.”
That sense of command is built long before she walks under the stage lights. Currently studying with Russian-American pianist Alexandre Moutouzkine, Chi pairs her intensive work at the Steinway in New York City with classical ballet training to build the core stability and physical leverage required to project over a full orchestra.
“People often expect Grieg’s concerto to demand sheer physical weight, especially in those opening octaves,” Chi explains. “Studying ballet completely changed how I think about sound at the keyboard. Power doesn’t come from forcing the keys, it comes from balance, alignment, and knowing exactly where your energy is going before your hands ever touch the piano.”
Her November 20 appearance in Sanremo under conductor Mauro Mariani caps a landmark season for the rising pianist. Earlier this year, Chi officially joined the global Young Steinway Artist roster, filmed Steinway & Sons’ Pourquoi Steinway feature in Paris, and completed studio sessions for her debut commercial album, capturing Frédéric Chopin’s Piano Concertos Nos. 1 and 2 under conductor Massimiliano Caldi.
Yet in conversation, Chi is far more focused on the immediate excitement waiting for her in Italy than on past milestones.
“I trust my teacher, Mr. Moutouzkine, and we are more than ready,” she says. “It’s going to be awesome!”
Belle Chi performs Edvard Grieg’s Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 16 with the Orchestra Sinfonica di Sanremo under conductor Mauro Mariani on November 20, 2026, at Teatro Cinema Centrale in Sanremo, Italy.
Website: https://www.bellechimusic.com
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@bellechipiano?si=Hlbp6KFdOmMZIYY8
