Eight-Year-Old Violin Prodigy Performs Her Solo Piece “Meditation” From Thais by Jules Massenet With the MAYS Orchestra on February 21, 2016 at Seminole State College in Sanford, Florida

Posted on 2016-02-02 by EPR Network in Entertainment // 0 Comments

Sanford, Florida, February 2, 2016 — /EPR NETWORK/ — Eight–year-old violinist extraordinaire, Leah Flynn, is scheduled to perform as a soloist with the Metropolitan Area Youth Symphony (MAYS) on February 21, 2016 at Seminole State College in Sanford, Florida (see below for more details). Leah will play “Meditation”, a symphonic intermezzo from the opera Thaïs by French composer Jules Massenet.

This performance will mark a momentous milestone in her musical career, but it did not come without hard work and practice. At the age of three, Leah’s father, Lennox, began fostering Leah’s musical ability as he taught her the piano. After observing how quickly his daughter learned the piano, he sensed she may have a gift for the violin as well. He contacted a local music teacher in the Lake Mary area and started lessons shortly after when Leah was five years old. Leah, too, learned the violin expeditiously and has been playing for three years now. Leah’s formal violin teacher is Julia Gessinger of Winter Park, Florida who she studies with once a week. She also practices two hours daily with her dad, Lennox, and has a wide repertoire including many classical pieces, hymns, pop and show tunes.

Leah became a member of the Metropolitan Area Youth Symphony in Orlando at the age of five. MAYS Orchestra was founded by renowned conductor and cellist, Jonathan May in 2010. This organization currently boasts over 250 students in Orange and Lake County. MAYS of Orlando consist of four different orchestras: the concertino, intermezzo, repertory and symphony. In August 2015, Leah was elected the concertmaster of the Intermezzo Group. Three months later, she competed in their Concerto competition and won handily. She received outstanding remarks from the judges.

Aside from performing with MAYS, Leah enjoys playing her violin locally for churches, community events and various galas. Leah treasures her gift of music and is dedicated to use her talent to bring people together and inspire change. With hopes of becoming a Messenger of Peace for the United Nations, Leah is determined to ignite societal and humanitarian reform worldwide.

In prime example, after witnessing on television the rioting which occurred in Ferguson, Missouri following the shooting of Michael Brown by Officer Darren Wilson, Leah asked her mother if she could play her violin for the people of Ferguson. She wholeheartedly believed that she could bring peace to their community if she performed there. Leah’s “peace mission”, as it was coined on popular daytime show, “The View”, did not go without notice. On the show, Whoopi Goldberg urged news affiliates to invite Leah to perform in Ferguson. Leah was eventually asked by Fox 2 News in St. Louis to play her violin on air; Leah accepted the invitation and performed on December 4, 2014. She has since received many correspondences thanking her for her bravery and sharing how touched they were by her performance.

Leah is very excited to perform as a soloist with MAYS on February 21, 2016 and she hopes for a great turnout! To read more about Leah and to stay updated on her endeavors feel free to visit her website and to view a video collection of her musical performances, please visit her YouTube channel (see links below).

Concert Information: The MAYS of Orlando Concert will be held on February 21, 2016 from 4PM to 6PM at Seminole State College’s Center for Fine and Performing Arts Building. The address is 100 Weldon Blvd, Sanford, FL 32773.

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