Last weekend, I had the amazing opportunity to present my senior violin recital, a culmination of the four years of violin study I’ve had at Yale. This was one of the most special moments of my time here, as it represented so many of the things I love (and will soon be missing) about Yale.
I wanted my senior recital to be a relaxed affair for a relatively small audience, as I get performance anxiety and wanted to feel really comfortable. The Head of College in Saybrook, Prof. Near, and his wife Allison were kind enough to open up their living room to me as a performance space, and it couldn’t have been more perfect. It had the exact cozy atmosphere I was looking for, and I felt very at home performing in my college. The generosity of the Nears also really highlighted how special and connected my residential college community feels to me.
Two of my musician friends, Phoebe (violin) and Kameron (piano), collaborated with me on my recital, which was one of the most fun parts of putting it together. Their passion and musicianship was so inspiring and energizing. Getting to play with them reminded me of why all the hard practice work is worth it–there is truly nothing better than getting to play music with friends who are as invested and excited as you are.
Seeing the Nears’ living room full of dear friends, family, and mentors made me feel so loved and grateful for the relationships I’ve created over the past 4 years. I felt so grateful to them for showing up for me, not just during my recital but also throughout the good times and hard times. I didn’t feel like my recital was just about the music–it was also a celebration of the life I’ve lived at Yale. I truly could not have done it without such fantastic people by my side.
A few of those fantastic people–my housemates!
