♪♪ I remember I was in Jordan Hall, which is the building of the New England Conservatory where I've been studying the last six years.

And I was walking down the hallway and I got a New York caller I.D.

phone call, and something told me it was important.

I'm not particularly sure what told me that but I picked up the phone and, you know, the Avery Fisher Career Grant is something growing up as a kid I heard a lot about.

And it wasn't ever something I even conceived or could imagine for myself.

So it's an unbelievable honor to be a part of this.

♪♪ You know, when I get asked the question usually about how I started with the violin, I, I usually kick mysel because I wish I had an answer such as I listened to recording and I fell in love with music.

But the funny thing was my mom actually just kind of forced me to practice a lot.

She forced the violin my hand and it was something that I actually discovered as I went along later in my life.

And for that reason, I actually think I'm super grateful because it the love for music kind of grew organically as I developed.

Once I had the space for it and I made that choice to fully go into music, really at the juncture between high school and college was that point at which I made that transition from music being, you know, something that was that was maybe even a hobby.

I would go so far, say, but in some ways an interest into a full on passion.

As a result, I think it's been enriching for me now because I've gotten to a point where I felt like I had the full autonomy to make that choice.

♪♪ I would say my primary teachers were some of the most inspiring people in my life, certainly in encouraging me to pursue music.

I think my family was a huge part of that as well.

My parents were not full time musicians.

They loved music.

They had some music in their background.

My mom was a pianist in some regards and my dad minored in music.

Them enjoying music, them wanting me to pursue it as far as I could.

In addition to them not actually being full time musicians.

It didn't give me any kind of pressure to do so.

But I definitely look to my parents, certainly as huge forces in my life for guiding me and my choices with investing in music.

And my older siste actually is a violist as well.

She's in the New York Philharmonic.

So my family has been certainly the steering rod for me throughout my life.

♪♪ The instrument I've had th privilege of playing on the last nearly two years now is a violin made by one of the greatest makers, Antonio Stradivari from 1699 titled “The Lady Tennant.” as well as the bow, which I've been equally crazy about, is made by Jean Pierre Marie Persoit in the 1830s.

And both of them are in generous loan to me through the Stradivari Society Bein & Fushi and the Mary B Galvin Foundation.

You know, it's a tricky thing to figure out what instrument can work for you, because the amazing thing about fantastic instruments is that they also morph to you and you end up morphing to them in a very weird way.

It sounds a little bit strange to say that about, you know, a wooden box or an inanimate object.

But when I first had the, you know, the privileg of playing on this instrument, it actually wasn't a violin that felt comfortable from first playing through.

So it took me months and months and months of working with it every single day.

And I actually learned if I do this slight combination of pressure and speed, I can get this kind of sound.

And the violin also changed a lot in that time, too.

And so they're able to also shift to your maneuvers as well.

So there's a amazing symbiotic relationship that goes both ways.

Not only do I give something to it, but it brings something to me.

♪♪ My amazing friend and wonderful collaborator, Chelsey Wang.

And I'll be performing the final movement from Saint-Saëns first violin and piano in D Minor.

♪♪ This final movement is broken up into two parts.

The first part is a kind of fleeting, scherzando.

It's full of playfulness, mysticism, and when I'm performing it, I kind of get these very colorful but veiled images as they pass by.

And the final part, the second part of the final movement is full on exuberance.

Joy.

It's rich with virtuosity.

And a big part of the reason why I picked this particular movement is not only I felt these two parts span the full range of the violin from colors and emotions to images, but also in conjunction, I think that they encapsulate the whole feeling and energy of being a part of the Avery Fisher family, which is just full on joy.

To share this with my amazing collaborator Chelsea, with my family, with friends.

It's basically a reminder that me being here is really the result of a whole community of people, a whole village of people who invested in me and believed in me too, for me to be here.

So I think that this movement just perfectly reflects that enormou feeling of gratitude, generosity and an exuberance that I thin this whole event is all about.

As I mentioned before, I'm at a juncture now where I'm transitioning from school to now trying to become a full time freelancer.

I'll graduate in May with my master's degree and having the Avery Fisher Career Grant as that safety net, that feeling of security not only monetarily, but just in the support and validation and confidence it instills in anyone I feel far more equipped to forge out.

I'm going to be moving out of Boston.

I'm going to be moving to somewhere else, either overseas, maybe to here in New York.

In addition to just the mentality of having to be kind of in a way on my own, not being a part of an institution, it's a little bit scary.

And I think having that kind of support and network around you that makes you feel that you have those outlets is not only it's an honor, but it's incredibly relieving, too, to be a part of that.

♪♪ [applause] So it's titled “The Lady Tennant” because there was a man named Charles Tenant who purchased the instrument in the beginning of the 20th century, Im going to say around 1910-ish.

And he purchased this for his wife and so they titled it “The Lady Tennant” because as a gift to his wife.