After graduating from the University of Denver with my Bachelor of Arts in Music, I couldn’t imagine my life in France without my viola, so I brought it with me. I had no idea how I was going to play; I just knew I didn’t want to give it up. When I first came to France, I did some research and learned that there was a university orchestra that was made up of professionals and students of Université Grenoble Alpes. I contacted the director, and they said that they would love to have me, they needed violists, and that I didn’t even need to audition! I showed up to my first rehearsal and was super nervous. I was seated in the back, and I made it through the 3 hours of trying my best to understand everything in French. There were so many words I didn’t know, and the conductor spoke so fast, and I felt completely lost, but then we started playing. Once we were playing, it was like it didn’t matter that I was halfway across the world. The music is the same, and the music brings people together. I have learned so much in the past 6 months playing in the orchestra, and we had a successful first concert in January with a full house! Everyone in the orchestra was so kind to me, and we even got to spend a weekend in the mountains rehearsing, eating delicious food, and hiking in the Vaucluse.
