Just 10, She Fiddles Her Way to Musical Success

Julia Chin picked up a tiny violin when she was just 2, an age when many children have yet to hum a nursery rhyme.

At 6, she was “seriously” learning the violin, said her father, Carlton.

Now 10, Julia is a fifth-grader at . She’s a fan of —she won the local spelling bee at the in February—Skype, math, cooking, art and classical music, of course.

In May, she will perform as a soloist with the Manhattan School of Music Repertory Orchestra.

The pony-tailed performer is prepared, rather than nervous.

“Usually, when I perform, I’m really ready, and it’s really fun for me,” she said.

Julia, who plays in the elementary and middle school orchestras, loves playing with others, hearing the harmonious sound that results when many instruments combine to produce one sound.

In her living room, accompanied on the piano by her mother, Rose Wang Chin, Julia plays “Polish Dance” by Edmund Severn.

It’s a lively piece, and Julia is an enthusiastic interpreter. Her bow flies across the strings, and her face is a study in concentration. And it is all played from memory. Julia suggested that when a piece is practiced many, many times, memorizing the notes becomes as natural as do-re-me.

She practices the violin (she now plays a three-quarter-sized instrument) about two hours a day, but not in one unbroken stretch of time.

Does she need to be reminded to practice?

“Sometimes,” she admitted.

She also conceded that there are musical genres that are foreign to her. She is, after all, more familiar with Brahms than Beyonce.

“I don’t know any of the music my classmates know,” she said.

It doesn’t seem to bother her much, nor does her busy schedule. On Saturdays, she travels north to the Manhattan School of Music, where she studies violin and serves as concertmaster of the orchestra.

“Sometimes, I miss free time, which isn’t missing too much,” she concluded.

Julie Becker, Julia’s teacher at the school, said of her young pupil: “Julia is special as a young musician because of her energetic approach to playing and her hard work ethic. She has tremendous passion and youthful energy in her playing. She thrives on performance and really draws the audience in as a result. Julia also has a real passion for learning and that passion really drives her to do her absolute best in her practicing and her performing.”

Julia has won music competitions, mastered spelling bees and tackled art competitions. At 9, she performed at Carnegie Hall. At seven, she was admitted as the youngest member of the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra String Ensemble.

You can watch her on YouTube, playing the Hayden Violin Concerto in G Major, and winning a concerto competition in her age category.

Will the tall, slender girl bursting with music be the next Itzhak Perlman, Joshua Bell or Sarah Chang? Not necessarily. Julia may pick another path as she matures.

“I want to be a robot builder,” she said.