If you’ve been to any of Libertyville High School’s theater productions in the last few years, like Legally Blonde or Spamalot, to name a couple, you might have noticed the piano. Or you might not have — it’s less a brash, attention-seeking sound than it is a metronome, a sturdy and flawless playing that keeps the content on the stage, the stuff you do notice, humming along smoothly. That piano you hear is played by senior Lucia Zhang, playing away on an instrument at which she claims to be, in her words, “okay.”
While Zhang refuses to sing her self-praise in any aspect of her life, she is a little slower to ridicule her playing of the violin. And anyone with a lick of musical knowledge — and even those without it — would have to agree. Since Zhang denies to boast about her talents, others are happy to do it for her.
One of the presiding members of the ever-expanding Lucia Zhang fan club is LHS orchestra conductor Mr. Jeremy Marino, who has worked with one of his top proteges since her freshman year. He commends Zhang’s balance of attention to detail with the mindset of “playing out,” an attitude of boldness when it comes to performing.
“She’s understood from very early on that what (she does) on the violin is playing this kind of character,” Mr. Marino said. “It translates in a lot of ways to being a great musical leader.”
While Zhang is quick to sidestep any notions that she is a leader, her role as concertmistress, which is the lead violinist and assistant conductor, solidifies her as a key aspect of the orchestra’s cohesion.
“I try to cue everybody and make sure everyone is adhesive with what Mr. Marino wants,” Zhang explained. “Everyone has good ideas, I just try to facilitate those ideas.”
Senior Matthew Schubert, a cellist who has played alongside Zhang since their freshman year, has elevated his performance in an effort to keep pace with his orchestral mate.
“I feel privileged to be able to play in the same group as her,” Schubert said in an online interview. “Lucia has forced me to be a better player, not literally, just because she made me want to improve.”
Whether she’s deemed a leader, facilitator, or motivator, Zhang is an integral piece to the LHS Chamber Orchestra, which is audition-based. From beyond a musical standpoint, her fearlessness on the violin encourages her peers to follow her lead and step outside their comfort zone.
“She provides cover for others to feel comfortable to come up with her, so she kind of brings them up,” Mr. Marino stated.
Zhang’s willingness to “play out” can be attributed to her musical background; she started playing piano as soon as her hands were large enough to cover the keys (upon a little nudging from her mom), and picked up the violin in stride during fourth grade. While Zhang is critical of her piano playing, she recognizes the effect it has had on her musical career, explaining that it has helped her “build that musical foundation.”
If the piano helped to build a foundation, then the violin has built her an extravagant skyscraper; her talent on the stringed instrument has offered her opportunities she described as “life changing…even though that sounds really cliche,” she added with a laugh. Her most recent endeavour was a one-on-one musical session with Riccardo Muti, the conductor of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.
“We are incredibly lucky to have him in Chicago. I’m such a fan,” Zhang raved. “Not only is he a great conductor and someone who knows what they want in terms of music, he’s also one of the most inspiring people I’ve ever met.”
The opportunity to meet Muti, and many others throughout her career, came through the Midwest Young Artists (MYA), an orchestral group independent from LHS. Mr. Marino likens MYA to a travel team for sports; they select the top musicians from the Chicagoland area and give performances throughout the year.
“(MYA) is something I’m really passionate about,” Zhang shared. “Music is a big part of my life, so as much as I can get involved, I can…it’s a really fun opportunity to get the orchestral experience.”
That’s perhaps the most remarkable thing about Zhang and her craft: instead of getting overwhelmed and burned out on music, she craves more. Many high schools students see their various commitments as a burden on their everyday life, while Zhang juggles violin, a challenging academic schedule (she’s waiting on college response letters from the University of Virginia, Illinois, and a host of Ivy League universities), clubs like Model UN, and the occasional recruitment of her piano prowess, all the while maintaining a demeanor that leads one to believe she sleeps about 11 hours per night.
“I don’t do any sports for the school, so it’s the same for a lot of people,” she said modestly, using the phrase “the same” rather loosely.
While Zhang’s resumé is one that could send CommonApp into overdrive, it appears that a job is missing from the list. That’s because she doesn’t need one; she is frequently hired to play violin for events like weddings, parties, or open houses, in an attempt to “class up” the events, as she puts it.
While earning around $600 per gig is more than enough motivation to master her instrument, (yes, those decimal points are aligned, $600 per gig), that’s not what fuels Zhang to play the violin. It’s not the money, the sparkling college application, the opportunities to play at Orchestra Hall in Chicago, or even the lasting friendships she’s built with her orchestra companions, whom she calls her family. At the root of it all is an authentic love for what she does, a passion that’s hard to find among anyone.
“If you play it really well and understand what the composer is trying to do and exploring beyond the notes, it’s a really fulfilling feeling,” she said. Her passion goes beyond just playing the violin, but immersing herself in music. On a given day, you might find any artist from Tony Bennett to Ed Sheeran streaming through her headphones, but she holds an exalted admiration for the classical music she’s grown to love.
“It’s not my music of choice (for listening), but if you do it right, there’s so much to it,” Zhang explained. “There are so many nuances…so many mind-blowing moments where you learn about the history and what the composer was going through.”
Mr. Marino captured Zhang’s passion when he stated simply: “She plays music because she loves music and because she’s naturally gifted at it.”
Where Zhang’s gift will take her in the future remains to be seen, but the possibilities are abundant. Wherever she ends up next fall, she plans to audition for the university orchestra. “Something low key,” as she put it. Whether it’s pursuing a career in music, law, or business, all of which are potentials on the Lucia Zhang agenda, a future awaits her that even she would admit is a little better than just “okay.”
