BELLAIRE • MEMORIAL • RIVER OAKS • TANGLEWOOD • WEST UNIVERSITY

Opera inspirations

By Nina Pitts, age | July 1, 2014

Click the Buzz Me button to receive email notifications when this writer publishes a new article or a new article in this column is published.

Nina Pitts, a junior at The High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, spent a summer at the Meadowmount School of Music of Society for Strings in New York, where many famous musicians, including Yo-Yo Ma, also studied.

Music has always been a big part of my life. Growing up with parents who are professional musicians, I can’t remember a time when I didn’t hear music in our home. It just seemed natural for me to play an instrument too, and so at the age of 6, I took up the cello.

At first, music lessons were just for fun until I attended a performance of the opera Don Giovanni by Mozart in the summer of 2011. I sat in a box seat, close to the stage, and was totally captivated by the humorous story line, the acting and the singing; it was the whole package. It got me thinking that I could one day be a part of the musical world.

Today, as a junior at HSPVA, I take my music very seriously. In particular, I enjoy playing chamber music because it gives me a chance to interact with my friends although I also like to play in orchestra. This year, I was principal cellist in Houston’s regional youth orchestra, which was a great honor. When I was accepted to study with Brinton Smith, the principal cellist with the Houston Symphony, I was in for a great ride. An amazing teacher who has endless energy, he pushes me to accomplish things that I could never do before. I look forward to my time with him because I know that by the end of my lesson, I will have improved tremendously.

As a result of the combined efforts of his advice and my hard work, I was named a 2014 Texas Young Master by the Texas Commission on the Arts. Thanks to the grant that I was awarded, I am able to study at the Meadowmount School of Music of Society for Strings in New York this summer. One of the original summer music camps in this country, it’s the place where many famous musicians, such as Yo-Yo Ma, spent their summers practicing both their individual instruments as well as chamber music. Surrounded by that kind of inspiration, I know that I will come one step closer to my goal of having a career in music.

Want to be a Buzz Kid? Email approximately 350 words, a high-resolution photo and caption to [email protected]. Or mail it to The Buzz Magazines, 5001 Bissonnet, Suite 100, Bellaire, TX 77401.