Class of ’23 alumna Carolyn Pyun was an avid violinist when she attended Saratoga High — but that doesn’t mean she’s stopped playing now that she’s graduated and in college. Though she is now an applied math major at the University of California Berkeley, she maintained music as her main extracurricular activity.
Pyun played in the school’s orchestra for all four years. She was also the president of MESH (Music Education for Saratoga High), an organization dedicated to teaching middle school and local youth to play and love their instruments. She was also involved in the orchestra leadership as an orchestra manager.
“I loved the experience,” Pyun said. “I made so many friends through my involvement with the music program, and a lot of my best memories were being part of the symphony orchestra here.”
Wanting to further her passion for music, Pyun auditioned to join the UC Berkeley Symphony Orchestra. The orchestra has around 100 members, a substantial increase from the Saratoga Strings Symphony ensemble with about 70.
“Our orchestra has people of all ages, majors and backgrounds,” she said. “We have a lot of non-music majors who are part of orchestra just for fun and even faculty members are involved. The larger orchestra is amazing because of the sheer versatility of the sound and allows us to capture a wider range of emotions.”
Despite many non-music majors participating for fun, everyone in the ensemble takes the music seriously and tackles the challenging repertoire with pieces from various genres, from classic symphonies like Shostakovich’s “Symphony No. 8” to movie soundtracks like that of Spirited Away. In every concert, the orchestra features soloists playing concertos with a variety of instruments.
In addition to playing in the symphony, she also plays violin at church and is attempting to learn the guitar in her free time. She has been teaching herself through YouTube videos when she has time during the day, finding enjoyment in playing music amid her busy schedule.
“I love the quality of the music here,” Pyun said. “Everyone has really mastered their instrument, and you can tell this is a different level of dedication. I’ve noticed in high school that there are people who would just be in the orchestra for external reasons, but in college, everyone is here because they want to be here.”