micaela chyu of ladue horton watkins high school
Micaela Chyu has played the violin since she was six, and her musical talents have now taken her to the St. Louis Youth Symphony and Community Music School (CMS) at Webster University. Last fall, the Ladue Horton Watkins sophomore won the inaugural CMS Preparatory Program Scholarship Competition. Out of six finalists, she earned a full scholarship for the program, which offers young musicians chamber music coaching from professional musicians, performance opportunities, mentoring, theory and more.
Why did you start playing violin?
I watched videos of people playing on YouTube, and a friend of mine also played. I thought it looked really fun.
What is your favorite thing about playing?
Probably the complexity. There are a lot of different sounds you can make and things you can do with a violin. You can play one thing in so many different ways, and there are a lot of things to work on. I like that there is never really a point where I can say that I’m done with a piece because I can’t make it any better. I can always improve.
Why did you enter the scholarship competition?
I wasn’t able to perform for a while because of the pandemic, and I thought it would be a great way to get back into it and gain some experience. I also enjoyed the piece I was working on and wanted to perform it for an audience.
What are you looking forward to with the program?
This is my first time being in a competition group. I really enjoy making music, and we’ve been working together to put together our program. I’m really excited about one of the pieces; I’ve wanted to play it for a few years.
Do you plan to continue pursuing music?
I definitely know that I’m not going to quit, but I’m still deciding if it’s something I want to pursue as a career.
Other than playing the violin, what do you like to do in your free time?
I love running. I’m on my school’s cross country and track teams. I also sing in an acapella group.