Tony Lee will compete in the semi finals for the prestigious Sydney International Piano Competition on Saturday but, for Lee music is just his quest for beauty.
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Lee has been playing the piano since he was five. He is now 24 and has already performed all around the world.
Music, he said, is necessary as it "reflects the many mysteries and the miracles of life".
"Somehow, through this we can better understand ourselves and maybe our place in the universe."
The semi-finals will be held at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, and Lee is the only Australian to make it to this stage of the competition.
This weekend will showcase the world's most talented piano players, intersecting music with competition.
"I try not to see the competition in music," Lee said.
"Of course, in this day and age it's almost unavoidable to bring the competition aspect to music."
The 24 year old graduated from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music in 2013, and has now relocated to Europe where he studying at the Barratt Due Institute of Music in Norway.
Piano playing is no easy feat. Lee can rehearse up to seven hours a day.
"When we are away from the instrument we try to do some mental exercises," Lee said.
"I mean visualisation, imagining basically the entire process of arriving, coming, and performing on stage."
Lee said piano playing has been a great pleasure to him as he has been able to share a hobby of his that is intimate and personal, but delivered to a wide audience.
