This season, BYSO is celebrating the Faces of BYSO. From students and alumni, to parents, board and staff, there are thousands of faces who make up our community. Are you a member of the BYSO community? Submit your story and headshot HERE to be featured!

Yooni

“Why did you choose your instrument?” “Actually...I chose it because the name was pretty.” Yup. That’s the reason why I chose the violin. Whenever I tell this to fellow musicians at Boston Youth Symphony Orchestras (BYSO), they laugh, thinking that I’m being flippant. We all started our instruments by some attraction and continued for our individual reasons. I never cease to be amazed by the orchestra’s vibe. We tirelessly committed to over seven hours of rehearsals, practiced each week, and spent two weeks rehearsing outdoors with no cell service in Maine. These were factors that made me feel regretful about my naive decision to choose the violin because its name was pretty. However, I soon became inspired to continue, both by the passion my conductors felt towards each piece and the consideration my peers put into every note. Eventually, I felt that I, too, was truly part of this group. We are dedicated to our craft. Those of us with violin or viola hickeys put bandages over them, while many of us have wraps around arms that have been injured from too much repetitive motion. We are consistently making music jokes like, “I’ll be Bach” and exchanging advice on how to improve. Now, I love the violin not only for the beauty of its name but also for the instrument itself — the vibrations that are similar to a person’s voice and the range of emotions that each string carries. In orchestra, I have developed myself now both to portray the role of main character through the melody and serve as accompaniment through the harmony. Through the violin’s versatility, I’m both able to shine in the spotlight and support whoever is in it at any particular moment. I work constantly to improve myself and acknowledge that, as a team, we work collaboratively to fine-tune individually and grow together. From stands to sections, each one of us are microcosms. Whether we are performing in a concert at Symphony Hall or rehearsing, we all collaborate because we should be reaching the final destination, the end of each piece, simultaneously. As a music lover, I wanted to play music and initially chose the violin because of its name. Developing as a serious instrumentalist has helped me discover the value of teamwork in music and contribute even more to my musical community. We may have started from different motivations but we all stride towards the same goal: making music, not just playing notes. Although each of us are by no means perfect, together we create an ideal synergy.   Come see Yooni perform on April 29 in Symphony Hall! Interested in joining BYSO? Visit www.BYSOweb.org/auditions to learn more about our auditions taking place in May!   Follow: #FacesOfBYSO   #BYSO60