A Day in the Life: Abigail Hong '19 Violin Performance

 

I walk to school every day since I live nearby — I usually have a coffee in hand... I’m with my friend Matt Ethier '19, who plays trombone.

 

 

First thing of the morning is the dress rehearsal for the Philharmonia concert this evening.

 

 

Sharing snacks with friends during a break.

 

 

The dress rehearsal is when the conductor Hugh Wolff is the most expressive and communicative. It’s the culmination of five rehearsals and the most magical music making happens.

 

 

I finally got my coffee for the day.

 

 

Here I am in my lesson with my teacher, Soovin Kim.

 

 

I really like studying with him because he is one of my biggest inspirations as a musician and as a person. I really enjoy when he plays in my lessons, or plays alongside me, because I learn when I see and hear more effectively.

 

 

Soovin is a really bright teacher and brings such an inspiring energy to my lessons.

 

 

When you look in the mirror of his studio, there is one of the most important violinists, Jascha Heifetz, playing his violin at you. It has inspired me to continue practicing during late night sessions and to always strive to be a better musician… with a straighter bow!

 

 

This is my French class with Tali Zechory. Language is taken very seriously at NEC since all voice students are required to excel in all the languages offered. This leads to a very high level of instruction and conversation in class.

 

 

For the poetry workshop presentation, I'm reading poems I've written. The poetry workshop has been a very intimate experience with the rest of my classmates. Poet-in-residence Ruth Lepson is a great teacher and really helps us to feel comfortable with our creative process, and to build and develop our poetry.

 

 

This is my quartet practicing Beethoven Op. 132 in Miriam Fried's studio. We are a part of the Borromeo Beethoven Seminar, where the Borromeo String Quartet works with four quartets weekly on late Beethoven String Quartets.

 

 

We found that performing and studying late Beethoven was much more fulfilling when playing from the score.

 

 

It's finally time for the NEC Phil concert!

 

 

Tonight we are performing Strauss' Don Juan, which is something I have never played in it’s entirety, only the famous opening excerpt. The violin section is definitely having a good time during the performance.

 

 

After the concert, audience members and other students usually gather around the Beethoven statue in Jordan Hall. It’s been a long day, but we still make a point to catch up and talk after concerts – sometimes we even go out and celebrate the performance.

 

Special thanks to Abigail Hong for taking us along with her on a very busy day!

Photos by Andrew Hurlbut / New England Conservatory

 

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