Youth of Macedonia #10

“I play the viola. No, not the violin. The VIOLA! I have always known that music would be part of my life, I have always wanted to be a musician.

I started playing the violin at a very young age. I took private lessons for a couple of years, but, for different reasons I quit. Going through middle school and high school without knowing exactly what I was going to do in life, was a little hard and confusing. I regret quitting the violin, but it was too late for me to start all over again, at least this is what I was told. In college, I started studying art criticism, but deep down I knew that was not what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. One day, I met a violinist who was a friend of my aunt and whom I had not seen for a long time. She was lecturing violin at the university where I studied and she suggested I started taking viola lessons.

At first, I was confused. But, after a while, I felt more confident than ever that this was the right path for me. After few introductory lessons, I started studying how to play the viola. It was so hard for me at this age. I would cry my eyes out almost every day. Other violists around me had started playing the viola ages ago, and then, there was me “Hey, I am going to start playing the viola at the age of 20”. I was so far behind the others. There were times I felt useless, but I would wipe my tears and continue practicing, because I was not going to give up again. With time, things started getting better for me. I started playing at concerts with my colleagues and I joined different orchestras. I began to understand that, what really matters is the fact that I am fighting for something I love and I am getting better at it every day. Now I am about to finish my studies, I am preparing for my solo concert and I know that one day I will be the violist I dream of becoming. Because with hard work and love, everything is possible!”