Special to The Swellesley Report courtesy of the Wellesley High School Bradford and Parents of Performing Students (POPS). This is one in a series of POPS Senior Profiles we’ll be publishing.
Not many third grade violinists warm up to play the national anthem while watching the Boston Celtics warm up for a game, but Ivy Lei ’23 has. Ever since Lei chose violin from a list of potential instruments, she has been a part of many musical opportunities, including all eight of the New England Conservatory’s orchestras.
In the ten years Lei has played violin, she has been involved with music inside and outside of the high school. At the high school, along with being an orchestra intensive, Lei is the first stand in the second violins. She has also taken theory classes, played in chamber ensembles, and currently plays in the Youth Philharmonic Orchestra at the New England Conservatory (NEC).
Under the tutelage of her private instructor Mark Lakirovich, and the conductor of the high school’s orchestras, Dr. Sergey Khanukaev, Lei has fostered connection and growth within orchestral groups.
“One of the main things that I love about the WHS orchestra is that I’ve been playing with the same people since freshman year, so I’ve been able to build a strong relationship with the orchestra members, and I think that’s a big thing. We can see our bond translate into the music we produce,” said Lei.
Lei’s orchestral friends suggest part of the reason for such a successful bond is Lei herself.
“She is always willing to put others first, allowing them to share their own experiences with her and anyone who might be listening, thus helping to create the warm atmosphere she brings into every room,” said Liam Prentice ’24.
Music has also granted Lei experiences with self-sufficiency and being around similarly impassioned peers, such as at Lakirovich’s summer music camp in Cremona, Italy.
“My first year attending [Cremona] was eighth grade, and I spent three weeks in Italy without my parents. I was living with new people I’d met who also shared my passion for music, so [it] was really fun [to be] independent,” said Lei.
Lei has also dabbled in novel musical opportunities nearer to home. In Lei’s freshman year, she took a chance by being in the pit orchestra for the high school production of The Hunchback of Notre Dame.
“Pit orchestra was very challenging because of the short amount of time we had to prepare, and I had never played for two and a half hours straight, live. It was interesting to be behind the scenes, yet part of the performance at the same time,” said Lei.
Now busy with high school work and other extracurricular activities, consistently practicing is a challenge. Lei considers school to be more important, and so prioritizes this work, but she still tries to practice every other day for about an hour, and has weekly lessons. Although quitting has always been an option, Lei has never given in.
“The reason I continue playing is because of the journey of playing violin,” said Lei.
In the beginning of Lei’s violin experience, competition was a major factor, particularly when auditioning for prestigious orchestras or other programs.
“Generally, in those environments, the auditions are the competitive parts, but once you’re in, you’re in your seats, in the moment during rehearsal, none of that really matters, and it’s more of a friendly rivalry,” Lei said.
As Lei has gotten older and expanded her interests to include robotics and architecture, she has been able to focus more on playing violin for enjoyment rather than competition.
“I’m grateful for having other interests, because I can [play] violin because I enjoy playing it, and not to be better than other people,” Lei said.
As the co-founder of the architecture club and the mechanical lead for the high school robotics team, Lei must handle many concurrent commitments. A busy robotics season and multiple ongoing projects in the architecture club (see also “New mini-library a natural fit at Wellesley community garden”) make balance difficult.
Although these different endeavors may seem unrelated, Lei finds that her many engagements have shared elements.
“Going into architecture, there are lots of collaborative aspects, and similarly, in orchestra, you also have to collaborate with other members of the orchestra to make sure you all sound good together,” said Lei.
Lei plans on incorporating her varied interests into her plans for college at Cornell next fall where she will major in architecture.
“I want to keep violin in my life throughout college, which I plan to do at Cornell through their orchestras… I want to participate in that to keep me involved in violin, but I also love playing in orchestras. The people are the main reason why orchestra exists,” said Lei.
As for Lei’s thoughts on incorporating music into her adult life, she sees it as something she will lean on to relieve stress while working on her career.
“I would like to keep [violin] as a hobby, something that I pick up when I need a break from work,” Lei said.
Article written by WHS Bradford’s Alexis Lee ’25 (assistant features editor) and Elizabeth Hoerter ’25 (staff writer)
