Arts Student of the Week-Evelyn Mason

Evelyn Mason is a naturally gifted musician who has been playing piano and violin since a very young age. Now a junior at Niwot High, she is the longtime concertmaster for the school’s symphony orchestra, and is a “good role model for her peers”, according to director Keynes Chen.

“She has consistently performed at an exemplary level,” he wrote in an email. “Her leadership contribution to our orchestra program is well noted by everyone, and she has earned the respect and love from her peers through her passion, high spirit, friendliness, and hard work.”

Mason has been performing with auditioned groups since the age of seven, and is also the longtime concertmaster for the Longmont Youth Symphony Orchestra. She named Shostakovich as her favorite composer, Symphony No. 5 in particular, but said her favorite piece to play is the “incredibly difficult” Mendelssohn violin concerto in E minor. However, her most memorable concert appearance came during a performance of Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite when she was called on to play an unfamiliar instrument.

“In one of the movements, there was a Celesta, but there wasn’t anyone to play it,” she recalled. A celesta is a keyed instrument with a sound like a glockenspiel or xylophone. “So I stepped in because I knew how to play the piano, and it translated.”

Though proficient with both piano and violin, Mason prefers the violin and its myriad challenges. “Piano is essentially pushing a bunch of buttons, but for violin, there are more factors that go into making a good sound.”

Mason’s talents and interest are not limited to music. Keynes also called her “extraordinarily talented” visual artist, whose interest in drawing has lately led her to graphic design and computer animation. She recently designed the LYSO logo, one of her proudest accomplishments.

“I'm pretty into computer science as well, so I try to use different programs to do different things,” she said. “The one I'm currently trying to figure out is Blender. I haven't quite mastered it yet, but I'm getting there.”

When she’s not creating art or music for Niwot, Mason is also a member of Up-a-Creek Robotics Team 1619.