Bio
Growing up in a town with a conservatory and research university, I was lucky to have access to amazing live classical music and talented teachers. These experiences have shaped who I am and how I approach my playing and teaching. Since starting violin at age 5 at Ithaca Talent Education (ITE), piano at age 8, and teaching at age 11, I have enjoyed sharing my love for music in many capacities, from third grade classroom visits and a children’s concert this semester, to pop up concerts in nursing homes, to various celebrations including a Santeria house party.
I am currently pursuing a BM in Violin Performance with Francesca dePasquale at Oberlin Conservatory. I adore the musical environment at Oberlin, where I am constantly inspired and encouraged by my friends and the faculty. I have had the privilege of playing Beethoven’s 9th in Carnegie Hall for the UN General Assembly and staff, and we will travel there again to perform a public orchestral program in January 2023. Along with my love of symphonic playing, I have found much joy in the chamber music experiences I have had at Oberlin Conservatory, summer festivals, and home in Ithaca.
I have participated in eight summers at the Ithaca Suzuki Institute; two Suzuki Association of the Americas conferences; six years at Kinhaven Music School Junior, Senior, and Young Artist Sessions; six years in the Chamber Music at New Park Festival; summer 2021 at Green Mountain Chamber Music Institute and Vivace, 2019 and 2021 summers at Brevard; and online programs with Your Body Is Your Strad, Hilton Head Chamber Music Institute, and the Ithaca Suzuki Institute. Prior to coming to Oberlin, I was a member of the Cayuga Chamber Orchestra Youth Orchestra (CCOYO) (2017-2020), Rochester Philharmonic Youth Orchestra (2018-19), ITE’s violin ensemble and string orchestra (2014-2020), and Ithaca Children and Youth Chorus (2011-2019). More recently, I have subbed with the Firelands Symphony and Cleveland Pops Orchestras. I have played in masterclasses with Miriam Fried, Katie Lansdale, Nikki Chooi, Irina Muresanu, Christina Bouey, and Helene Pohl. I competed in Mary Lane Memorial, Cayuga Chamber Orchestra, Hertzog, and CCOYO concerto competitions, performing Mendelssohn 1st movement with CCOYO in January 2020.
Future goals
I aim to pursue a career that interweaves education, outreach, and performance, specifically teaching young students who would not typically have the financial means or social encouragement to follow their love for music. My hope is to be a part of the solution to the issue of inaccessibility in classical music and to help bring joy and relevance to its study.
After graduating from Oberlin Conservatory, I intend to earn master's degrees in Suzuki pedagogy and performance as my next step in this venture. In preparation, I am excited to attend Ithaca Suzuki Institute this summer to become certified to teach Book 1.