Years ago, five-year-old Paloma So ’23 went to a concert for the first time. She was awestruck by the sound of the violin, the musicality of the performer, and the ambience of the show. “It was an Anne-Sophie Mutter concert, and from that moment on I begged my mother to take me to violin lessons. It wasn’t a plan — it was a calling.” So’s passion for the violin sprung that night and has kept blooming ever since.
So is now a freshman from Hong Kong credited to be a child prodigy. She started playing the violin when she was only five, right after she attended the Mutter concert. Ever since then, her journey with the violin has been nothing but passionate, and it is an impressive story of dedication. So has been playing the violin for nine years now.
At the age of eight, after only a few years of dedicated practice, So was invited to a conservatory in Spain but rejected their offer. She didn’t want to be restricted to one path, though she knew that the violin was her future. She said, “I wanted to continue a normal education and play the violin.”
In addition, her teacher wouldn’t let her go. She still works with Mr. Zakhar Bron at the Interlaken masterclass to this day. “That’s part of the reason why I moved to the UK.”
So came to Choate from the Wycombe Abbey School in Buckinghamshire, England, where she saw her teacher in Spain every holiday — sometimes even once a month. Her dedication never lessened.
Today, So practices three hours on most weekdays, six on Wednesdays, and much more on weekends. Outside of Choate, she also has an incredibly busy schedule. She is a part of the Juilliard Pre-College, a highly selective conservatory-style music program that requires her to travel to New York City every Saturday. This traveling isn’t just to New York either; So missed the first week of school to play a Sibelius violin concerto with the Xiamen Philharmonic Orchestra at the Busan International Music Festival in South Korea.
So has played all over the world. Having played with various orchestras ranging from the Chinese to Berlin philharmonic orchestras, she has dazzled a variety of audiences. Together with Maxim Vengerov, a famous violin virtuoso, So also played the Sarasate Navarra violin duet for a charity concert with the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra. Right before the concert, she was also invited to a special visit to Buckingham Palace. She said, “We went to a private part of the palace — the coronation room. We didn’t perform there, but it was a very unique experience.”
Having performed at various venues, So has a few favorite places to perform. She said, “I’ve played in Moscow five times this past year,” and that her favorite memories of performing were made in Russia. The first competition she ever placed first in was in Novosibirsk. She was the youngest participant, but this didn’t intimidate her. After that initial success in Siberia, she was consistently invited to perform in Moscow and St. Petersburg with the China Philharmonic Orchestra. She has loved performing in Russia the most throughout her career. She even debuted a commissioned piece that was written specifically for her in Moscow. She added, “The audiences are so professional — they don’t clap between movements!”
So’s love for music is everlasting, and her experiences performing for diverse audiences have certainly added to her passion. She plans on pursuing a career playing the violin. Genuinely passionate about her instrument, she dedicates much of her time and energy to music and is excited to continue this journey at Choate.
