BY JONATHAN CANNON

HERALD DEMOCRAT

When Hannah Sansavath got up from the piano in her performance room at the state UIL Piano Contest, she was convinced she hadn't done well.

"I get paranoid and I come out and I'm just like, 'I did not do well,'" said the Sherman High School junior, recalling the experience in late May.

As she waited, Hannah retreated to a practice room. "I was sawing away at my violin ... trying to get my mind off of it," she said.

Finally, after an hour of waiting and wondering, the results were posted. Hannah received a one. It is the highest score on a scale of one to five.

Hannah, her parents, friends and teachers who traveled with her to the competition went to Hey Cupcakes!, a trendy Austin food vendor, to celebrate, before crashing after a long day of competition. Hannah had also competed and earned a one in the violin competition that day.

The group returned home and Hannah began thinking about her piece for next year's competition. She chose a Rachmaninoff piece.

A few days later, the family received another medal from the University Interscholastic League. Hannah's mother, Diane Sansavath, thought it was just another medal for Hannah's high score until a family friend and Hannah's first violin teacher explained otherwise. Dr. Fred Freeman told the family the medal was Hannah's for being named an Outstanding Performer.

"Of the approximately 85,000 students participating in the regional UIL music contests and the 22,000 musicians who performed at TSSEC (Texas State Solo & Ensemble Contest), only 231 students earned the distinguished honor of being recognized as an OUTSTANDING PERFORMER," writes UIL State Director of Music Richard Floyd, in the overlooked letter that accompanied the medal. "This achievement is truly a mark of musical excellence!"

At the state competition, each judge can name only one, or no, outstanding performer, making the recognition even more notable.

"I knew she was good," said Diane Sansavath, but "I didn't know that she's this good."

Diane said at an early age Hannah's teachers said she had a love for music and, after reading about the academic benefits of playing classical music, Diane signed Hannah up for piano lesson at 4 1/2 years old.

Hannah caught on quickly. After practicing less than two months, Hannah returned home from seeing Disney's "Mulan" and sat down at the family's piano. She began playing only the black keys, duplicating the sound of the Eastern-style music she heard in the movie.

"When I was little she used to make me (practice), but I've learned to love it," Hannah said. Now Hannah tries "to get in at least 30 minutes, but I'm addicted to piano, so it ends up being a little bit more."

Hannah said she often turns to the black and white keys as stress relief.

"It's just the music," she said. "It just draws me in, and feeling your fingers move around on the keys is kind of exhilarating. You're kind of in your own little world."

Hannah said she's attracted to the unique pieces. "I noticed at competition there's pieces that are played over and over again. ... I don't want to stick to really popular pieces." Her state-winning piece this year, "O Polichinelo" by Heitor Villa-Lobos is played "presto," or very fast.

"Basically, when you look at the sheet music, it doesn't look like it's a lot, but when you start playing it, there's more to it," Hannah said.

Hannah caries her interest in the unique to the other instruments she plays. In addition to the piano and violin, she plays five Thai instruments.

"I like all my instruments, but there are certain attributes that I like more about (each one)," she said. "Piano I've been playing the longest so it comes easier to me, but because the music's a lot harder it does kind of challenge me."

On violin, Hannah said, "the music isn't as complicated as piano, but there are still some things that are different from piano that challenge me."

Hannah explained that while cords on the violin usually consist of fewer notes, the transitions pose a greater challenge.

Away from her instruments, Hannah said she listens to all kinds of music. "I like variety. I'm not very picky."

And just like her near-perfect posture, in front of the piano, she's no slouch in the classroom. Hannah placed 10th in the state UIL Latin reading comprehension contest. She said she plans to be a pediatrician, hoping to incorporate her love of music through music therapy.

Hannah thanked her father, Kham Sansavath, and mother Diane; Freeman; and her piano teacher Ann McGee.

"She's lucky that she has (had) all the good music teachers since she was little," Diane said.