Just 11 days after losing her mother and younger sister in the deadly plane crash outside Washington, 14-year-old Anne Valerie “A.V.” Ter took the stage at one of the most challenging piano competitions of her young career.
She won.
The February victory came less than two weeks after Ter’s mother, Olesya, and 11-year-old sister Olivia were among the 67 people killed when their plane collided with a military helicopter and crashed into the Potomac River on Jan. 29. The family was returning from an event for elite figure skaters like Olivia.
“That was the best performance I ever played,” Ter said. “I was like, ‘Oh, my mom would’ve been really proud of me.’ And then, I won.”
Final moments before the plane crash
Ter had been texting with her mother during the flight’s final moments.
“I’m like, ‘Oh, have you landed yet?’ And she goes, ‘Almost.’ And then I say, ‘OK.’ And it delivers, but it wasn’t read,” Ter said.
Her father, Andrew Ter, was waiting at the airport to pick up his wife and younger daughter. Even after learning of the crash, he held onto hope they had survived.
“We did not know that was an explosion, right? So I thought, okay, both of them are excellent swimmers. You know, they’ll be picked up, right?” Andrew Ter said.
The reality didn’t fully hit Ter until weeks later.
“I don’t think it hit me until like a solid month later,” she said. “You kept expecting them to walk into the house.”
Competing after coping with loss
With the competition approaching, Ter turned to her piano for solace. Her father wondered if she should withdraw, but she continued practicing.
“I remember there was a point in me when I was like, I have to play it,” Ter said. “Like I can’t not play it. That was her dream piece for me to play.”
To reach the Washington competition venue, the Ters had to drive past the airport and across the bridge near where the plane went down. But Ter said she could hear her mother’s voice encouraging her.
“She said, ‘You got this. Don’t be scared.’ And then I just went and played,” Ter said.
The performance brought a sense of normalcy to the grieving family.
“For that moment, you felt normal, right? It’s like as if nothing happened,” Andrew Ter said. “I still felt like, you know, she was here, and she was listening and being near with us.”
On Valentine’s Day, less than a week after Ter’s triumph, the family buried Olesya and Olivia.
Ter’s grand prize was the opportunity to perform with the Levine Showcase Orchestra in Washington, fulfilling her mother’s dream of hearing her daughter play the piece with a full orchestra.
The piece held special significance: Her mother adored it.
“She really loved that piece, and she wanted me to play it with orchestra,” Ter said.
