Meet the Student: Q&A with Violist Alyssa Warcup

Alyssa Warcup, from Geneva, Ill., entered the Curtis Institute of Music in 2022 and studies viola with Hsin-Yun Huang. All students at Curtis receive merit-based, full-tuition scholarships, and Ms. Warcup is the Edward Montgomery Fellow.

You began your viola studies at age twelve. What drew you to the instrument, and what is your favorite repertoire to play?

I think it’s safe to say the viola chose me. I didn’t even know what a viola was when I was choosing an instrument in grade school! I remember my first two choices had been flute and violin. I couldn’t get a sound out on the flute, and then playing the violin seemed much more exciting. However, there were so many other kids already choosing the violin, but not a single one playing viola. One of the teachers pushed me in that direction, and I liked the idea of having an instrument all to myself.

The story doesn’t quite stop there. I played viola in elementary school that year but only felt lukewarm about it. I planned on quitting when I went to middle school the next year because I was part of so many extracurriculars already! The same teachers that put me on this instrument talked me into sticking with it for just one more year, so I did. We had a fantastic orchestra director in middle school, and she connected me with the private teacher that put me on the path to where I am today. They sent me to a couple of orchestra camps, and that’s where I made lifelong friends and found my home. I think orchestra is the reason I became a musician, and I wouldn’t be here without great teachers who are also great human beings.

If I’m not enjoying orchestra or quartet repertoire, I’m probably playing duo sonatas with piano, which are my favorite. I’ll be making my debut in the Student Recital Series on Monday, January 30, at Field Concert Hall, performing Bowen’s Viola Sonata No. 1 with Elena Jivaeva.

What have you enjoyed the most about your experience here at Curtis so far?

I adore my viola teachers, as well as the longstanding traditions here, both musical and non-musical. Hsin-Yun Huang and Misha Amory have such unbelievable artistry and do a phenomenal job sharing their thoughts with us. They make an incredible team, and I feel that my playing has already transformed in a short time. Inspired is such an overused word, but I feel genuinely inspired and even more motivated after each lesson, and I’m looking forward to what the rest of my time here has in store.

All of our professors and chamber music coaches here come from the most incredible musical lineage. Their teachers were the great artists of their time, and it’s so special to have these musical traditions passed down to us, sometimes even in the same rooms where they were taught.

The more tangible traditions at Curtis are equally enjoyable, such as weekly tea on Wednesdays and the annual Holiday Party that Curtis has hosted since the school’s founding. They bring our already tight-knit community together in a unique way.

What has been one of your most memorable performances to date?

It’s so hard to pick only one! I have to say both performing Sibelius 5 with the Cleveland Orchestra and performing the Schnittke Viola Concerto with orchestra. In Cleveland, I learned so much about section playing, precision, and making music. The perspective of knowing what it’s like to play in an elite professional orchestra is invaluable, and the experience cemented for me that this is the musical path I would like to take. The Schnittke Viola Concerto is by far one of my favorite pieces to play on viola. It is a monster, but at the same time, I have the kind of connection where it feels like it was made for me and my hands. This was a daunting first piece to perform with an orchestra, but thrilling! Not to mention it was great preparation for my Curtis audition.

Your bio mentions a passion for outreach, and you have performed with the Cleveland chapter of Music for Food, a musician-led initiative to fight hunger. Tell us about some of your most memorable experiences bringing music out into communities.

My last concert before COVID was performing in our annual Music for Food concert. I played in the Mendelssohn Octet with some other students and the Laredos. I really enjoyed the rehearsal process, and it was an exciting performance. Each year these concerts raise at least 10,000 meals for the community and probably draw the largest crowd of any outreach event I’ve performed in. When I play with chamber groups in museums, libraries, nursing homes, hospitals, or schools, they are much more intimate, and there are more opportunities to interact with the audience before, during, and after the concert.

Photo credits: 1.) Banner and second image courtesy by Nichole MCH Photography. 2.) Image of Alyssa Warcup, courtesy of Ayaka Sano.