For Daniel Cho ’23, music has always played a significant role in his life. First picking up the violin at the age of five, he soon switched to the cello due to the discomfort of the violin’s chin rest; with its superior sound and the comfort of playing seated in a chair, the cello was a much better fit for Daniel. Since elementary school, his talents on the cello have improved under the guidance of Barbara Paschke, a member of the Portland Symphony Orchestra. In Form I, Daniel joined the Boston Youth Symphony Orchestras (BYSO) and was eventually accepted into the Boston Youth Symphony (BYS), the highest level orchestra of the organization.
One of his favorite aspects of BYSO is being able to play advanced music as a high school student and its opportunities to perform moving music in a tight group. Daniel has particularly enjoyed learning new music with great nuance, and he mentions that “at BYSO, I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the experience of playing music. It’s amazing to have a youth orchestra synchronize with international singers and perform multi-hour long operas.”
Throughout his time at Belmont Hill, Daniel has performed in various festivals, both at the Junior and Senior District levels. As the Co-Vice President of the school’s chamber orchestra, Daniel’s experiences as a musician at Belmont Hill have been memorable. When asked what his favorite musical memory at Belmont Hill was, he described a jarring moment in Form II when a fellow musician accidentally tripped over his cello, causing the bridge to collapse and snap into two pieces before a concert. Luckily, it was a rental cello that was fully insured: “I remember laughing about it and getting to play Ms. Carye’s cello, an instrument of a price and quality I hadn’t played on before nor probably will again.” When looking back at his musical journey at Belmont Hill, Daniel says that he is “proud to have performed for the schools in seasonal concerts, chapels, and graduation ceremonies.”
Daniel has been an integral member of the Belmont Hill Orchestra during his time at Belmont Hill, and we will miss his natural humor and leadership as one of the senior members of the group. The Panel wishes Daniel the best of luck as he heads on to college next year, and congratulates him for all his musical endeavors.
