Young violinist from Loomis already enjoying the sweet sound of success in music

Go and find a video of Amaryn Olmeda of Loomis playing the violin on YouTube, and you will not be surprised that she has won so many competitions with her music. You might be surprised that it was in the junior division. Ask her about what she’s working on now, and she’ll tell you about a concerto cadenza she’s been composing. At this point, you might completely forget she is 12 years old.

“I started playing violin when I was almost 4 years old. My older brother started lessons before me, but he wasn’t very good and he hated it. My parents let him quit and I asked if I could play it. They let me try it, and I was hooked,” Olmeda said.

She started to figure it out on her own. In a week, she was able to figure out how to play a piece. She eagerly started classes, but quickly advanced past the level of her classmates. Since then, this virtuoso has been on quite a ride, performing with the Auburn Symphony at the Mondavi Center in Davis and the San Francisco Chamber Orchestra. She also did a tour with the Sacramento Youth Symphony Premier Orchestra that included stops in Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic.

She is a student at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, while also homeschooling on their family hobby farm.

“It’s fun for me. I really love it. I love seeing the same security guards, and I love seeing all the behind the scenes people who run the program,” she said.

Those little things help give Olmeda some feelings of normalcy during a time that really isn’t normal at all. As a home-schooler, her school life maybe hasn’t changed a whole lot, but her performance world has changed. Many of her concerts scheduled for the past year were canceled, and the Sphinx Competition was moved to a virtual format.

Olmeda has classes in chamber music and music theory, but her favorite part is her own lesson.

“My teacher is so creative and expressive, and he brings out the best in my playing. It’s really helped me improve my technique, and makes the instrument sound better than it ever has,” she said. “Sometimes, I don’t even want to play, I just want to listen!”

Earlier this year, Olmeda was chosen as the winner of the Sphinx Competition’s Junior Division, and given the Audience Choice Award. The Sphinx Organization is a social justice group that aims to change lives through diversity in the arts. They hold a national competition for young Black and Latinx classical string players. The junior division is for ages under 17.

This year, with a virtual format, contestants recorded four pieces for review including two Bach pieces, William Grant Still’s “Summerland,” and the first movement of Mozart’s Concerto in G Major No. 3. Once finalists were chosen, they recorded new pieces for the last round.

“For the finals we only had to do the Mozart, and I wrote my own cadenza to change it up a little bit — that was really fun for me,” she said.

Instead of focusing on what she didn’t have — an audience — Olmeda chose to focus on what she learned.

“I learned a lot from doing the recordings. I learned to communicate with people through a virtual performance,” she said.

As the winner, Olmeda received a cash prize and opportunities for solo performances with major orchestras, a performance with the Sphinx Honors Orchestra and a performance on the show “From the Top” on NPR.

Music is about making a connection for Olmeda. That’s why winning the “Audience Choice” at the Sphinx was so special.

While she loves having music classes with other people her age, she also likes working with adults when she plays with different groups.

“I learn a lot. They can give me lots of good advice, especially the conductors. They teach me how to be a better musician, and understand the music more,” she said.

So what does a 12-year-old violin virtuoso have on her playlist? It’s not all from the 1800s. She likes acapella band Pentatonix, broadway musicals and jazz legend Ella Fitzgerald.

Olmeda lives on a hobby farm with her parents and three brothers. There’s five goats, 50 chickens and a funny cat, in addition to a big garden. She makes breakfast from foods grown on the farm, like spinach and eggs, and takes art classes — especially oil painting and ceramics.

As for when she grows up, her goals will not surprise you.

“I would like to be a professional violin soloist and travel the world, and play all over the globe with major orchestras. I just love sharing my music with others, so I’m working really hard to be a good violinist,” she said.