Amanda Perez is a violist who has dedicated herself to intensive study and seeking opportunities to grow whenever possible. A junior at Northern Illinois University, Amanda graduated from CMPI after the program’s first year of work. She was introduced to her collegiate professor Anthony Devroye through a CMPI teaching placement, and after taking occasional lessons with Professor Devroye through high school, decided to join his studio for her undergraduate work.
Amanda’s love for classical music has only grown during her studies. She notes her favorite composers of the moment are Shostakovich, especially his second piano concerto, and Hindemith for the repertoire he offered to violists. Amanda has presented two solo recitals thus far in her undergraduate career, neither of which were required, but instead organized by her and her professor because of the amount of repertoire she has been able to learn at a quick pace. She was happy to share that her sophomore year recital featured a program of works by composers of underrepresented backgrounds, highlighting a mission along with her performance.
Along with her successes and goals in classical music, Amanda exhibited her vulnerability regarding the hard work of being a classical performance major in college. She shared that she expected a performance major to include lots of performance and practice, which of course take up much of her time. But, the academic classes such as Aural Skills and Music Theory have required much more studying and preparation than she would have originally imagined. Time management and organization have been essential to her time at school. Amanda is an outstanding student and musician in that she keeps a detailed spreadsheet organizing her time for practice, study, and socializing. She also notes the importance of boundary setting saying, “I make a point of being done with everything at 6pm, so I can have dinner and social time before heading back to my room and having downtime to prepare for the next day.”
When asked what advice she would give to current CMPI students, Amanda said simply and directly, “Listen to Adrienne!” She emphasized the experience and knowledge of the CMPI team and strongly advises current students to take the guidance that is shared through CMPI.
Amanda is a prepared and thoughtful musician who is working hard at her undergraduate studies. She is full of gratitude and shared that one of her best friends at school is actually another CMPI alumna, Elianna Nielsen! Amanda’s energy is contagious, and we look forward to seeing where her studies take her as she begins preparations for graduate level programs and auditions to come next spring.
Images
Top: Amanda Perez