'A' game: Pianists do normal kid stuff — and then some

Like other 12-year-old boys, Jan Vojtek likes going to the movies with his friends, eating chocolate, reading his favorite books and competing in international piano competitions.

Well, not every 12-year-old boy.

In fact, Vojtek said he is the only one of his friends in the Czech Republic who plays the piano.

This week Vojtek competes against more than 30 other children in the Gina Bachauer Piano Competition in Salt Lake City.

"I am not worried," said Vojtek, who has played the piano since he was 4 years old.

Vojtek has competed and won several awards in the Czech Republic and other European countries for his artistry, but this is his first visit to the United States. He and his mother, Hana, are staying with Rosemary Olsen in Salt Lake City.

Sometimes, Olsen said, when the piano playing stops, Hana will come check on her son to find him reading his favorite plays or taking pictures of the planes outside flying in to land at the airport. His mother will remind him to finish practicing.

"Two hours of practice in the morning," Olsen said, "and two in the afternoon."

To host a competitor, the host family must have a grand piano — and make certain it's tuned. Olsen enjoyed her previous host experience so she volunteered again. This time has been different.

"I speak no Czech," Olsen said before the mother and son came last Saturday. "I guess they can point to the refrigerator."

But American food, or food in general, doesn't seem to be a problem for Vojtek.

"He eats healthy — and a lot," Olsen said.

Vojtek needs to be on his "A" game for the three competition rounds at the Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center. On separate days, the competitors play one 20-minute and one 30-minute performance and then six competitors will be chosen for the final round today.

The first place winner will be awarded $7,000.

Performance time slots were randomly picked on Monday night. Vojtek was scheduled to play sixth on Tuesday and Thursday, immediately following 10-year-old Nayaka Clarence Wianto, the youngest competitor in the junior competition.

Both Wianto and Vojtek wanted to practice just a bit more before they performed, wishing they had a later performing time.