By ASHLEE GRAHAM – Senior and gifted violinist Gloria Lo has accomplished many great things during her high school career, particularly musical accomplishments. With violin in hand, Gloria has done many great things, and there are many great things on the horizon for the young musician.
Ever since her youngest years, Gloria knew that she had a very special connection with music. When she was seven, she had her first experience with the violin and knew as soon as she heard it that she was in love. For the last five years, Gloria has continued to develop her skills on the instrument and has grown to love it even more.
In the past three years, Gloria has earned the principal second violin for the Johnstown Symphony Youth Orchestra, as well as assistant concertmaster. At IHS, Gloria has made PMEA District and Regionals, as well as All-State. Along with this, she served as the orchestra concertmaster during the first semester of the 2017-2018 school year.
Gloria has also served as a volunteer for the elementary orchestra, as well as a member of the All Strings Attached quartet outside of the IHS orchestra. Junior Talia Mistalski commented, “I’ve known Gloria for as long as she has been at this school. She is one of the best players I have ever heard. Gloria plays with such passion and definitely deserves all her accolades! We are all very proud of her and her violin, Chewbacca.”
These achievements are very impressive, but there is one shining achievement that tops all of the others. Just recently, Lo qualified for the All-National Honors Ensemble as an alternate. The most impressive part? Gloria got this amazing opportunity all by herself, she had no private teacher, unlike the other contestants. Gloria had only practiced her piece for about a week, which shows the true talent that she has developed.
Junior Tian Schiera touches on the subject, “Gloria is one of the most musically talented people I know. She is a natural born leader who is exceptionally humble, hard-working, and kind to everyone around her. I am beyond proud that she made it as an alternate for the All-National Honors Ensemble, she deserves it.”
Lo has shown again and again that she is truly passionate about music and her dedication and determination continues to bring her success and inspire those around her.
According to Lo, ,”As the music roars and the melody sings, I closed my eyes to enjoy each moment. Music is my passion, it is where I thrive. Through music, I learned self-discipline, dedication, leadership, and time management. Countless hours of practicing with my violin, which consists of screeching noises, broken strings, and tired fingers, is worth it.”
[Photo courtesy of Gloria Lo ]
Photo Caption: “Gloria poses with her violin for a photo.”
