MFS Has Talent! By Daisy Maturo '25

MFS provides many opportunities to showcase talent, such as musical performances, plays, musicals, and academic competitions. However, not every talent can be showcased in front of an audience. So, here are some of the hidden gems in the Upper School community!

Max Wang, Blindfolded Chess Champion

Maxwell Wang ’25 faces off against Robert Li ’25 in a strategic game of chess. There’s only one difference between the two of them in this match: Maxwell is blindfolded and turned away from the board.

“I’ve been playing chess since third grade,” reflected Wang. “When I was in first grade, I started playing ‘Go;’ it’s similar to chess, but with no special pieces, basically just pawns … I couldn’t really practice with anyone because nobody plays in the United States, so I ended up swapping to chess.” Since third grade, he’s earned chess-related achievements. “I’ve gone to different state tournaments and nationals … For state, I came second two or three times, and then one year I came first. [During] nationals, I came third for my age group in 2020, and I came in fifth in the world open for [players] under 13 years old.”

While it may seem impossible, to Wang, blindfolded chess isn’t all that different to physical chess. He even says that many other professional chess players think this way. After Wang’s match against Li, he said, “I guess I could probably play more accurately if it were on a physical board, but being on a physical board and, like, a mental board is still very similar … Chess players at a higher level normally think in their heads and imagine moves, so [there’s] not a huge difference.”

Esha Acharya, Professional Artist

Music credits: Dontcry x Glimlip - Sashimi. Esha Acharya ’25 draws a portrait of a butterfly, captured in a time-lapse video . She sketches the outline, then shades in, creating depth on the paper.

Esha Acharya ’25 draws a portrait of a butterfly, captured in a time-lapse video. She sketches the outline, then shades in, creating depth on the paper.

This talent requires years of practice and discipline, as well as an enjoyment for the arts. “I’ve been doing professional art lessons for ten years now outside of school … it’s the only hobby I can have a lot of fun with and do my own thing with.”

As an experienced artist, Acharya uses different styles in her artwork. She uses anything from pencil sketches to watercolor. While Esha likes to draw everything, she does have a specialty. “I love practicing anatomy in my free time. I really like doing body proportions and drawing my own characters.”

Chase Konzelmann, Memorization Master

Music credits: Dontcry x Glimlip - Maki. Chase Konzelmann ’25 takes an online quiz and lists the names of 197 countries in the world (Note: some countries may or may not be represented accurately because territory ownership has changed since the quiz was made.)

In eighth grade, Konzelmann memorized all of the countries in the world. A year later, he is still able to recite them from memory. To most, this might seem like a daunting task. To Konzelmann, it was a matter of patience and effort. “I worked my way through each continent and then tried to work my way through the more obscure countries until I fully memorized [each country].” Such achievements, however, could not have been earned without a real passion for the subject. “I think [geography is] interesting, it’s a good thing to know. Flags and capitals are fun to learn. It’s good general knowledge in case you need it [in the future].”

Nicole Jung, Kalimba Musician

Nicole Jung ’24 plays the kalimba, also known as an African thumb piano.

Jung owns a 17-key kalimba, whose keys alternate to the left and right of the C key in the middle. While explaining how to play the kalimba, Jung said, “You can use different techniques such as improving the reverb or [sliding your fingers on the keys].” She started learning two years ago, teaching herself songs using YouTube videos.

For Nicole, it isn’t about talent – it’s about enjoying what she plays: “It’s a very relaxing experience. It's very nice to utilize a talent like that into a musical instrument, something that sounds really nice … It’s a way for people to be in the moment finding themselves, expressing themselves through a sound or [melody].”