10 Questions for Becky Anderson

By Jason Vondersmith

The Portland Tribune, Feb 4, 2010

Lincoln High grad Becky Anderson, a violin virtuoso who's attending the prestigious Curtis Institute in Philadelphia, says she practices at least 3 1/2 hours a day during the school year.

COURTESY OF BECKY ANDERSON

Portland native Becky Anderson has reached the point in her career, at 19, where she can play anything on the violin, any music put in front of her.

“Pretty much,” says Anderson, a 2008 Lincoln High graduate who now attends the prestigious Curtis Institute in Philadelphia, working with Ida Kavafian. “It might take me a bit longer than some very famous soloist …

“But I’m at a point in my technique it would be hard to find something that I couldn’t hack my way through,” she adds, humorously.

Indeed, it’s all fine-tuning from here on out as Anderson pursues a career as a concert violinist.

Anderson returned to Portland for the holidays and performed at the the city’s Community Music Center, where she started playing the violin soon after mastering how to walk and talk.

The violin virtuoso, daughter of Greg and Nan Anderson, shared some of her story with the Tribune:

Tribune: The Community Music Center is proud to call you one of its own; how did you get your start?

Anderson: Mom is a pianist, so music was always part of our household. My brother (Aaron) and I went to camp during the summer, and my brother really liked to play the violin. At the time, I wanted to do everything he wanted to do; he was 5, I was 3 1/2. I decided I wanted to play the violin, but my parents made me wait until age 5, when the average violinist starts playing. My parents were supportive of what I did, but good about not pushing me.

Tribune: When was your breakthrough moment?

Anderson: When I started out, I had no idea I’d go into music. I thought it would be an aside. It was not until I was 10 that I made the decision that it was more than a hobby for me. I started practicing a couple hours a day, started doing some competitions. Things got progressively more busy.

I won the MetroArts Young Artists Competition, run by Niel DePonte, at 13. It picks between seven and 10 winners to play a piece with the orchestra. Auditions were in January, and from January to April you work with him to really understand not only your part but the orchestral part. I don’t think I’d ever worked on a piece as in depth. It was Sarasate’s “Ziguenerweisen,” and I think that was a major concert for me. It opened my eyes to what you can do with music and really explore the options.

Tribune: You spent two summers learning from Itzhak Perlman?

Anderson: The summer after my junior and senior years in Portland I was accepted to the Perlman Music Program – a six-week summer program for string musicians 18 and under. It was an incredible experience. Mr. Perlman spent the entire summer on campus at Shelter Island, at the tip of Long Island with us. He’s a world-class violinist, and he could have been doing a million things, but he and wife see the need for education and working with young people. I had weekly lessons with him, and he conducted the string orchestra every evening. He’s so inspiring to be around.

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