Play it Again, Kat!

Katja was thrilled to earn First Chair (of the 20 viola section) for her school's end of the year String Concert. Grandma, Papa, Jeff, Robbie, Jack, Mrs. Young (her piano teacher), Mrs. Brosvic (her viola teacher) and I were all in the audience to applaud her efforts...which, of course, meant the world to her. The performance even inspired Robbie to request cello lessons! And, yes, I've already secured an instructor for him and leased an instrument before he changes his mind! He starts next week! :) Did I mention that she and another boy were the only "non-asian" children in the front row? Typical....

A closer view of Katja playing the viola...which is really a 1/2 size violin strung with viola strings. This is "the thing to do" with viola players until their little bodies grow big enough to hold a real viola.
Katja poses with her viola teacher, Mrs. Brosvic (left) and her orchestra director, Mrs. Ellis (right). Katja adores both of them. Mrs. Brosvic's family is SUPER musical. Her husband, a former symphony player, is now the manager of the Houston Symphony. Of her three daughters, two play the violin and one the cello. Her oldest, Alex, is only in the third grade and already is the youngest member of the Houston Youth Symphony(HYS). Mrs. Brosvic, who began giving Katja private lessons in January, hopes that she will be ready to try out for the HYS in a year or two.