Arts Student of the Week-Dung Nam Pham

Dung Nam Pham is a gifted violinist in Niwot High's orchestra who pours his emotions into his performances. But for the school's orchestra director, Yin-Feng Keynes Chen, the senior's natural talent is just one of the attributes that make him a great musician.

"He has been a very dedicated musician in our orchestra program ever since his freshman year," Chen wrote in an email. "Not only is he one of the hardest workers among his peers, his strong passion for high-level music making is quite noticeable and very transparent as well. Working with him is such a joy. With his genuinely gentle, kind, and sweet personality, he has earned respect and love from his peers. In return, Nam offers great contributions constantly and continuously to his ensembles in terms of quality, spirit, and leadership."

Pham started playing violin as a 7th-grader, and is currently playing in both the Niwot symphony orchestra and the Pro Arte chamber ensemble, which he said offers a more intimate but more challenging playing experience.

"It is essentially chamber music and in such a setting, every instrument is a distinct voice of the ensemble," the senior wrote. "As a result, to make the music sound and look as interesting to the audience as possible, you have to infuse your individualist expressions, emotions, and character into your playing. In addition, as opposed to a large orchestra, the Pro Arte ensemble is a small group, so the ability to play and make music together, through listening to and watching each other, and synchronizing everything from the bowings to body movements, is extremely important."

Pham considers Mozart, Dvorak, and Stravinsky to be his favorite composers, but it's a piece by a 19th-century French romantic that he will remember most fondly from his playing days at Niwot.

"I have enjoyed playing L'Arlésienne by Bizet the most," he wrote. "We played it during the pre-COVID portion of my sophomore year. Although we couldn't give a concert due to the pandemic, it was my most rewarding experience in the Niwot orchestra because it really pushed me technically and there were a lot of moments where my emotional expressions could really shine through."

Pham is also a member of the Longmont Youth Symphony, and spends three hours each Saturday in rehearsal. In total, he spends about nine hours playing or practicing the violin outside of class each week.

When he isn't busy with the violin or school work at Niwot, Pham is also vice-president of the Key Club, and a member of the chess club. After graduation, Pham plans to attend college to pursue a sociology degree, but plans to remain active in the college orchestra.