Antonella Tarsia, viola

Antonella Tarsia, a young violist based in the Philadelphia area, is on a mission to share her love for music and make a positive impact on her community. She aspires to bring people together through music and create moments of joy and inspiration.

Antonella is proud of her continuing journey in music, her place in the Primavera Fund and participating in the Young Musicians Debut Orchestra (YMDO). Antonella is so proud to be a part of the Primavera Fund. They have helped her so much already with her musical journey, she wouldn't be where she is without them. She's happy to be in YMDO where she gets to play music, but more importantly be part of something big, and have fun doing it. "Getting to be in YMDO, and play beautiful pieces with my friends has been so amazing, and important to me." She says.

Antonella is also proud of how far she has gotten in her musical journey. She was 8 when she started and definitely didn't see music going any farther than maybe a hobby, but now she's dedicated to her role in music, she couldn't imagine what life would be like without it.

Outside of music, Antonella loves spending time in nature. She says, "I don't know why but I've always loved nature." She loves spending time at parks and going on hikes. She says "Spending any time in nature, whatever setting is like an escape from the real world where I have responsibilities and obligations. In nature there's nothing to worry about."

She also loves cold rainy autumn evenings, when she can just sit inside and read. Antonella says "Those autumn evenings when it's raining but only a little, and it's chilly but not too cold are so perfect. You can sit inside, with a warm drink, a good book and your favorite blanket, it's magical." 

Antonella’s musical journey began early in her life with exposure to all genres. As a young child she attended summer blue grass festivals throughout Pennsylvania with her family where she would watch for hours as her great-grandfather, a mandolin player, would pick and jam with his friends. When she was old enough, she began participating in the festival’s Academy for Kids, a three-day instructional program that culminated in a live musical performance. These hands on experiences brought her to realize she wanted more music in her life.

In the fall of 2018, at age eight, Antonella started taking piano lessons from Miss Jessica Friis. She enjoyed it so much that she asked for violin lessons, too. For Christmas 2019 she got her very first 3/4 size violin and began taking lessons with Miss Jessica right away. And then the pandemic hit and in person instruction ground to a halt. Antonella, determined to keep growing musically, learned to use her computer to meet with her teachers virtually. Finally, in the autumn of 2020, she began studying privately with Shelley Beard Santore and everything began to fall into place.

In 2021 Antonella became a member of the Gala Strings Orchestra through The Music School of Delaware under Julie Murphy Ruiz. Additionally, she participated in The Music School of Deleware’s Youth Strings Camp. She also enjoyed participating in the Brandywine Fiddlers, an electric fiddle group, with Miss Shelley. In the sixth grade Antonella joined the orchestra at the Drexel Hill Middle School directed by Jason Majerczak. She earned the 6th Grade String Award for her accomplishments that year. It was also in the 6th grade that Antonella began the transition to viola. Over the summer of 2022 Antonella fully embraced being a violist. She was fortunate enough to participate in The All City Orchestra Summer Academy, the premier summer orchestra training camp at The Mann Center. In August, Antonella auditioned and was awarded a seat in the Musicopia String Orchestra, under the direction of Taia Harlos. The highlight of this summer was being accepted as a Primavera Artist. This would open up doors and allow Antonella to be challenged and grow in ways she never imagined.

Since becoming a Primavera Artist, Antonella has been able to participate in The Settlement Music School Chamber Music Program, where she is joined by her brother Joseph in a string quartet. This school year she was selected to represent the Drexel Hill Middle School at the PMEA District 12 seventh and eight grade String Fest. Being supported by the Primavera Fund, Antonella is able to advance her skills by participating in master classes, festivals, groups and competitions otherwise unaffordable to her. Her newest adventure will be with the Young Musicians Debut Orchestra under the direction of Kenneth Bean and Rachel Segal.

Antonella is an eighth grade homeschooler. She resides in Drexel Hill with her parents and younger brother and sister. In her free time she enjoys crafts and sports. In addition to her classical instruments, she plays electric guitar. Antonella has been fortunate enough to receive a sponsorship from John and Melissa Daly at the Let There Be Rock School in Folsom where she has studied guitar under Andre Karkos since 2020. She has fun playing in a rock band at the LTBRS. Antonella tried out for and was asked to join the Drexel Hill Middle School competition jazz ensemble on electric guitar two years in a row under Jason Majerczak. She has also enjoyed participating in the Brad Schoener Jazz Jam! summer camp directed by Hiruy (Henry) Tirfe the summers of 2021 and 2022. Along with her brother she recently participated in the Boscov’s Berks Get JazzED Fest. She is excited about the many opportunities to learn about herself and music with the support of The Primavera Fund and plans to take full advantage of all the many educational opportunities that are presently available to her.