How did you become interested in music?
I knew I wanted a career in the performing arts since I was age three. Performing gave me a chance to express my innermost feelings, something I found difficult to do in everyday communication and spoken word. When I was age three and a half, I heard a recording on the radio of Jascha Heifetz playing the Korngold Violin Concerto. The sound was so beautiful to me that I begged my father to buy me “the thing that was making that sound.” I got a quarter-sized violin as a fourth birthday present, and after making nothing but scratchy sounds for a couple of weeks, I made my first beautiful sound. I fell in love, and have loved everything about music ever since.
What kind of career do you hope to have?
I want a career in music, writing, and language translation. I want to be a performer, conductor, and college professor in music. I want to write books on the subject of music and other subjects that I’m passionate about. I also want to learn as many languages as I can to obtain a side career in translation, and to educate others in languages. I’m a typical nerd who wants a career in academia, as well as a confident performer who wants a career in the musical spotlight and entertainment industry.
What is your favorite thing about UNC Charlotte, the College of Arts + Architecture, or the Department of Music?
My favorite part of the College of Arts + Architecture as a whole, since I have two majors, is the faculty. My violin professor specifically is one of the greatest teachers I’ve ever had, and his expectations push me to be the best version of myself as a musician. My other teachers are so inspiring as academics and people. They all prioritize research and dedication to lifelong learning, and they care about developing our personalities along with our minds. Since I’m so far away from home when I’m at college, I have a particular sense that my teachers want to be my closest advisors and take on that “second parent” role. I love that especially.
Do you participate in any community activities or work in the Charlotte arts community?
My biggest community activities at UNC Charlotte currently involve the religious and music organizations that I’m in, and I’m going to extend my community outreach to embody more formal classical music-related activities this year. I’m very passionate about sacred music. I’ve performed at a few churches close to campus. I’ve also been heavily involved in praise bands and churches closer to home, performing in numerous community outreach activities, holiday services, and contemporary music services. Furthermore, I’ve performed at various nursing homes and was invited to perform at one during a trip with the UNC Charlotte Orchestra to Vancouver.
What have you gained from being a member of the Arts + Architecture Honors Program?
The main thing I’ve gained from the Honors Program is that it’s kindled my excitement about researching music topics. Through academic research papers, I get to access a database of experts highly knowledgeable in their respective fields of music. I strongly believe that in order to succeed as a musician, you need to study the scores, the composers, the instruments, etc. In my Music Liberal Studies course, I had to write journals and research papers, and I actually loved it! I believe all the great composers and musicians are geniuses, and that they need to be studied intensively in order to properly express their complex ideas through music. That’s why I think the Honors Program has developed a passion in me for the intellectual component of music.
When you are not in class, studying, or working, what do you like to do for fun?
As a kid, I did many sports for fun, and I still enjoy that today, albeit at a much less elite level. Over summers at home, I frequently go swimming and boogie-boarding with my family. I love playing whiffle ball, ping pong, frisbee, badminton, cornhole, and horseshoe. I have two dogs at home, and I delight in playing with them and taking them for walks. More activities I enjoy are reading, writing, cooking, learning languages, and traveling.