Meet Our Musicians: Joanne L.

This post is part of our Meet Our Musicians collection, where we interview Continuo musicians about their experiences in music, performance, and their Continuo program.

When did you started playing violin?

I started in second grade because a classmate of mind brought in his violin for show and tell. I thought it was the coolest thing ever and I knew that that was what I wanted.

What drew you to Continuo?

I first learned about Continuo from a notice about student-led chamber orchestras that was posted on BYSO’s board. I really took an interest because it brought back a lot of chamber performance memories from my childhood. In my old neighborhood, local kids would gather at this one house and play chamber music. One of the moms would organize a Christmas performance at a senior home and I missed that.

Describe Continuo in three words.

Independent. Rewarding. Self-paced (laugh).

And that was the first time I felt a give and take. An exchange between the audience and me. The community performances allowed us to exchange art.

Do you have a particularly memorable musical moment that sticks with you?

(laughs) My second Continuo performance was kind of a mess. At first, some group-mates didn’t respond to my attempts to communicate. But then this one other person joined the team, pulled it together, and at the end, the performance went great. It made me realize that even at the last minute, when you want it, there are good things that can happen. That we can be kids at times but still do things and have fun at it.

Another moment for me was my first performance at Goddard house. After we performed, a resident in the audience told me how much he appreciated our art and gave us paper bookmarks he had made himself. And that was the first time I felt a give and take. An exchange between the audience and me. The community performances allowed us to exchange art.

What keeps you going?

When I was first starting off with violin, my grandmother was so excited. She had wanted to do music as a child but didn’t have the opportunity to do so. When I played violin, she would sit in on my practices and give me candy after. I associate violin with my grandmother and it brings me so many good memories.

It can connect people through time and space— there are stories behind the composers and stories behind the pieces.

Fun fact about yourself?

I really like hoarding old papers and making something out of them. Especially origami geometric shapes—I plan on hanging those my Christmas tree.

Any surprises that came out of Continuo?

I learned I really really liked organizing disorganized music. Continuo performance groups often come with unique instrumentation. For each performance, I had to comb through my school’s music library to find those weird arrangements, and I found that some of them do exist! At first I was really daunted by that task, but by the end, I found out that I liked organizing. Now, I’m my school’s orchestra librarian!

On a different note, I was surprised by just how much socializing you can do through music. Most of my previous music experiences were with a teacher or an orchestra where you don’t even know the name of the kid sitting next to you for months on end. With Continuo, I realized I was having a lot of fun meeting new people, even going to their houses for rehearsals.

Any last comments?

This is really about finding that relationship side of classical music. Many people in our generation feel that classical music is snotty or posh or elite. But it can connect people through time and space— there are stories behind the composers and stories behind the pieces. Taking our own initiative to make those connections really helps break that stereotype.

Joanne L. (violin)

Joanne is a senior at Weston High School. She has performed in Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra and New England Conservatory ensembles. She is now focusing more on smaller chamber music groups as she gets ready for college. Her downtime hobbies include reading comics and discussing pop media with her twin sister.