Local teen violinist joins symphony

Amity Calvin of Sisters casually lifts her violin and bow to play. The music - a traditional Scottish jig - seems to bubble out effortlessly. The tune is lighthearted and joyful, like the young fiddler herself.

When an injury prevented this 16-year-old Sisters High School go-getter from claiming her usual spot on the varsity soccer team this season, she moved to Plan B: audition for the Central Oregon Symphony (COS).

Now Calvin, a junior, has been invited to join the popular community-based orchestra for its 42nd annual concert season, where she will be one of just six high school students playing in the otherwise adult symphony. Approximately 85 musicians make up the orchestra.

"I'm dying to take this opportunity," says Calvin, "I'm not going to let this pass by."

Calvin auditioned on the urging of her violin teacher, Alice Long of Tumalo. But the audition might not have taken place at all, had Calvin not torn her ACL ligament playing lacrosse last spring.

"When I got the injury, Alice was the only one who was happy about it," she joked.

"I was trying to get her to do symphony last year, but she said 'I have too much on my plate,'" said Long, laughing. "When she got injured I saw her plate clearing.

"There's only a few kids that come along (like Calvin)," she added. "She's always had that inner sense. A lot of kids play music - Amity makes music, she creates it."

Long, a member of the symphony herself, went above and beyond her role as teacher and was able to score a private audition the day before rehearsals began.

"She not only made it, she impressed them," says Long.

"Alice is not just a teacher; she's an inspiration and a terrific friend," Amity said. "It's always 'Do you want to try this?' because she knows I like so many kinds of music: Scottish fiddling, blues - anything and everything."

Calvin is the daughter of Kris Calvin and May Fan. Her mother remembers when her daughter first got the bug to try playing violin. "When she was six or seven, she listened to Jacob French (local fiddler & classical guitarist) playing the violin. She said 'I want to play that.'"

"I just loved the instrument, loved the sound," Amity said.

At 10 years old, she had the honor of fiddling along with the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band in their 2005 performance for the Sisters Starry Nights Concert Series.

In middle school Calvin took up a second instrument: the clarinet. The band experience, along with occasional string quartet performances arranged by Long, has been invaluable for building her comfort level within a larger musical ensemble.

"You can be an incredible soloist and not get along in a full-blown orchestra setting," she said.

Calvin gained more experience when she was selected last year to represent SHS in the Oregon Music Educators Association's All-State Orchestra, an annual event held in Eugene.

And last June she once again attended Alasdair Fraser's Scottish Fiddle Camp in northern California. This time around she was joined by younger brother Devon Calvin, a freshman at SHS and a talented guitarist.

In August, the sister and brother duo set up on a dock in Sitka, Alaska, to play "and make a little money" while visiting family, according to Amity Calvin. They wound up jamming with two Alaskan teens - a drummer and a keyboardist/accordion player.

"I'm proud of her ... and a little bit jealous," says Fan, "because she has a way of being able to just play along with other musicians and harmonize."

Fan says she feels gratified, "seeing her enjoying music, not just being forced to practice, seeing the two of them (Amity and Devon) playing music together. As a parent there's nothing

better."

Rehearsals of the Central Oregon Symphony have begun and Calvin is awestruck by the company she's now keeping.

"Oh my gosh, I have so much to learn, so much to gain from everyone," she said. "It will really sound amazing when we put it all together."

Calvin looks forward to playing with the COS for all three of its concert series: fall, winter and spring. Ticket information is available at http://www.cosymphony.com..