Monday, March 10, 2025
Leyla Zeynalova, G.P.D. ’24, M.M. ’25, left Boston on a flight to Dallas, TX on a cold Thursday in January to compete in the Ann & Charles Eisemann International Young Artist Competition. Thirty minutes before her flight was scheduled to land, a major winter storm in the south caused her plane to be grounded in Memphis, TN. All flights were cancelled for at least two days due to the severity of the weather.
Stranded in Tennessee, Zeynalova began questioning whether she should go to the competition at all. The last competition she participated in was in Europe in 2020, before she moved to the US; her professor who was coming to support her in Dallas was also unable to fly out. This was her first experience traveling alone in the US and it seemed to have the makings of disaster.
“I thought maybe that was a sign that I shouldn’t go…and then, then something pushed me inside: ‘Hey, you’re not this person…just don’t give up.’”
She overheard a couple near her talking about renting a car and driving to Dallas from Memphis, and Zeynalova thought this might be her only opportunity. Maybe this couple, two strangers she’d never met, would be nice enough to let her tag along.
Fortunately, “It was my lucky day, I met such wonderful people,”: the couple agreed, and after 9 hours together in the car, they arrived in Dallas at 3:00 a.m. on Friday. After four hours of sleep, she had a single one-hour rehearsal before securing second place in the competition.
Her determination and resilience outweighed the pressures of her situation, and she held steadfast in her preparation and the conviction that all she could do was her best. “When you’re on stage, it doesn’t matter what you went through…when you understand you don’t have anything to lose, you give everything.”
Zeynalova gave everything in her semi-final and final round performances of Dmitri Shostakovich’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in F Major, Op. 102, earning her second place in the Concerto Competition.
Zeynalova said that thinking about her biggest supporters, her mother and brother, kept her determined and focused during her travel odyssey. She said her mom often reminds her, “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger,” and that this experience strengthened her commitment to her craft.
In her time at Longy, Zeynalova has had the opportunity to explore music beyond solo performance. In Ralph Farris’s chamber music class, Zeynalova teamed up with fellow Longy students Tanya Zhmendak U.D. ‘22, M.M. ‘25 and Arol Rzayev G.P.D. ‘26, where they were coached by Dean Emeritus Wayman Chin. Their experience playing Maurice Ravel’s Piano Trio in A minor, and seeing the passion they all share, inspired them to form the Fabula Trio. Zeynalova appreciates her colleagues’ shared determination and devotion, reflecting that “It’s such a pleasure to play with people who understand the value of this process and are ready to go with you through this process.”
The piano trio is currently preparing for the final round of the Music Teachers National Association Chamber Music Competition in Minneapolis. Zeynalova has high hopes for more upcoming projects with her colleagues, and her last few months as a Longy student.
From the concerto competition to chamber music, Zeynalova sees the value in Longy’s reimagined conservatory education. Longy has given her the freedom to explore a diverse career as a musician and follow the music she is passionate about. “When there is a space or environment [like Longy] that lets you go through this process, and gives you this time and opportunity to just find who you are…This is so important and amazing, and I think this is one of the most important things that Longy gives to students.”
Leyla Zeynalova, a pianist, educator, accompanist, and EMCY prize winner, is the laureate of international competitions and festivals and has performed in the United Kingdom, Denmark, Belgium, Germany, Poland, Latvia, Russia, the United States, the United Arab Emirates, Georgia, and Estonia.
