The bow glides across the strings as sophomore Chris Tran leans into the violin, his focus sharp as he plays. 

In his advanced orchestra class, playing the violin isn’t just about getting a grade. For Tran, it’s passion. Now, that passion has brought a new opportunity: a partnership with the University of Indianapolis (UIndy).
Not every university gives opportunities like this, but UIndy has built a reputation for being open to young musicians.
“Some universities won’t let outside people play in their orchestra, but UIndy orchestra director and strings professor Dr. Williams has been very open to it,”orchestra teacher Thomas Wright said. 

When Tran first heard about the opportunity to play with UIndy’s during class, he initially didn’t think much of it. 

But with encouragement from his friends, he chose to give it a try. 

”I didn’t think I’d actually do it, but my friends dragged me into it,” Tran said. 

It all started in third grade when he was messing with a violin. Then, in sixth grade when given the opportunity to choose a variety of instruments, he immediately chose the violin.

Now, he spends roughly two hours on Mondays and Wednesdays hitting every piece, sightreading and practicing the difficult parts with more experienced musicians, the majority of them being high school seniors.

“Chris is very driven. 
They want to be better. They want to be pushed,” Wright said 

Without a full orchestra or the resources that universities offer at hand, it’s hard to play the more advanced music, which is what makes this opportunity so important.
One of the benefits of this partnership is the chance to perform with UIndy’s orchestra, pushing him to improve and see what performing at a higher level is like.

“What excites me the most is that I get to play music at a whole nother level with more experienced people,” Tran said. “I hope to grow as a person, meet new people and expand my opportunities as a violin player.”

While he isn’t sure what the next steps are, this opportunity has made him think about music more seriously. 

“I feel like I’ve considered more to major in music, but I wouldn’t say it’s my number one option,” Tran said.

For now, he’s focused on learning all he can from rehearsals, the difficult music giving him the chance to improve as a musician.

“One day, I was in the crowd watching them perform, and now I get a chance to be the one getting to perform for a crowd,” Tran said.