09/25/2026
The stage of Rowe Recital Hall was packed with musicians digging into Max Bruch's revered Violin Concerto No. 1, Op. 26. The orchestra's sound was full, and still Emily Schmidt's solo violin sang out above it as her bow danced across the strings 🎻
It was Schmidt's first rehearsal of this famous, and famously difficult, piece. On Sept. 29 she leaves her usual seat as concertmaster to perform it with the orchestra as soloist.
Schmidt graduates in December with a B.S. in Biology and a minor in music, and while her diploma might suggest otherwise, music has in no way played second fiddle. Along with weekly violin lessons and first chair in the orchestra, she has played snare drum in the Pride of Niner Nation Marching Band every fall.
"I can't imagine my life without a lot of my time spent in music," she said.
She was 4 when she started playing publicly with her musician parents, and 7 when she played her first wedding. Her mother was her teacher, and after years of playing together, she says they "can read each other's brains at this point. It's a cool connection."
That non-verbal communication is, she believes, among her most important skills. "You have to know what a glance means; you have to be in sync with the director and each other and listen to the different lines of the music."
You could hear that work happening in rehearsal, as she worked with the ensemble for the first time. "Reach with your ear to hear the violinist and get into her groove," said Alan Yamamoto, director of orchestras. "You have a live, breathing, non-AI soloist. You have to breathe with her."
The week before, Schmidt had traveled to 3 universities to interview for dental school. Music came up in every interview.
"Dentistry is about manual dexterity, and you develop manual dexterity playing the violin. You also develop a humanistic, emotional awareness, connecting with people."
She plans to keep teaching violin and gigging through dental school. "It's just so good for my mental health. It's very balancing. And I love that bond we form, getting to make music together."
See Emily and the orchestra in concert, Sept. 29!!
