AC sophomore Eliza Pearson wins appointment to Amarillo Symphony
Amarillo College sophomore Eliza Pearson was about 10 years old back when she first lugged her cello into the Music Building and became a member of the renowned Suzuki Program for young and aspiring musicians at AC.
These days she’s toting that stringed instrument of hers just a couple of miles farther down the road – a relatively short jaunt that nevertheless propels her instantly from academia, esteemed though it may be, to genuinely rarefied air.
Pearson, an 18-year-old music major at AC, recently nailed an audition and was rewarded with a coveted one-year appointment to the Amarillo Symphony Orchestra. She occupies the fourth cello chair when the Symphony performs at the stately Globe-News Center for the Performing Arts.
“I’m definitely excited about it,” said Pearson, who played in her first official Amarillo Symphony Orchestra concert in mid-October. “It’s an honor and a big-time commitment. I was a little bit nervous at my first rehearsal because I was still getting used to the music, but I know a lot of people there, especially in my section, and that really helps.”
Pearson’s appointment underscores the pipeline that long has extended from AC to the Amarillo Symphony, a pipeline through which AC’s Cade Foard earned a Symphony seat only last year. An AC sophomore then, Foard is now furthering his studies at West Texas A&M University, while he continues to play violin with the Symphony.
“We’re so appreciative that the Symphony takes a hand in helping nurture our talented young musicians by providing these kinds of experiences,” said Camille Day Nies, who chairs the AC Music Department and who for many years has been a member of the Symphony Orchestra’s viola section.
Pearson belongs to a musical family – her mom Melissa plays flute in AC’s Community Concert Band – and all four Pearson kids started out playing piano. As her musical horizons expanded and with encouragement (and accompaniment) from David, her dad, Eliza decided to give the cello a try. Judging by her new Symphony gig, she made the right choice.
“I like that it’s one of the more popular instruments but that it’s not a cliché to play cello,” Pearson said. “It offers a lot of variety, and it has a lower sound than a violin so you can do a lot more with it.”
At the urging of former AC cello instructor, Russell Steadman, yet another of the many AC faculty members to have performed with the Amarillo Symphony over time (Steadman moved out of town last summer), Pearson says she decided to audition for a spot that came open in the Symphony’s cello section. That was last April, when the auditions were open primarily to local musicians; however, despite receiving positive feedback, she was not selected at that time.
“They said ‘not yet’ but that I was close and should work at it over the summer and come back for the general audition in August,” Pearson said. “That’s when people can come from just about anywhere to audition. So, I decided to refocus. I increased my determination throughout the summer.
“I took lessons, listened to the feedback I received and the tips from people with lots of Symphony experience, like Mr. Steadman, and those tips and tricks really helped. I knew what to expect the second time around,” she said. “I got a one-year appointment, and I can re-audition next year if I want to try for a permanent appointment.”
Pearson, who will graduate from AC next May with her associate degree in music, has not yet finalized her plans for the future. For now, though, she has plenty of music – for school and for the Symphony – to practice and perform. She presently is studying under AC adjunct instructor Jayson Bishop, who also serves as associate principal cellist with the Amarillo Symphony.
She also is immersed in church activities and is contemplating a mission trip, has pets to love and care for, and, like 18-year-olds are wont to do, has some binge watching to attend to on Netflix.