Iona Galu feels like ‘mother’ at Annual Violin and Viola Studio Concert

On March 27, the annual Violin and Viola Studio Performance took place in Colton Hall. The event was in-person but also available over a livestream. There were 16 students who showcased their skills during the event.

Ioana Galu, the assistant professor of violin and viola, hosted this event. Galu is also part of the Rawlins Piano Trio that is a group comprised of performers, teachers and scholars. 

Some students performed solos with a piano accompanying them while others performed in groups. Galu said this event gives students the chance to show off the skills they have been working on throughout the semester and year.

Many students performed solos while others performed in groups. This concert was mostly made up of undergraduate students at the studio, but it also featured a few graduate students.

“I had a graduate assistant on viola and he performed a duet with another student and then he performed in the Graduate String Quartet and he performed a solo,” Galu said. “I currently have three graduate students in the studio. One of them is on the viola and two are on the violin.”

Students take a long time to prepare for this event to show what they have learned throughout the semester and year. Galu said most of the students spend months practicing and preparing for this event. Each year students can improve from the previous year and reflect on their past performance. 

“I feel like a mother looking at their kids that just are all grown up and this whole process of learning and having rehearsed so much and then performing for each other in studio classes. Then they go on stage, and they just bare their souls and give it all and it touches me to the core. I give them everything and they give it all to the music,” Galu said.

The Violin and Viola Studio looks forward to hosting another performance in 2023. They will be expecting some of the same students and plan to have new students perform as well.