Angela Baucom, 15, is the principal violist in the Chattanooga Symphony & Opera Youth Symphony.With its elegant, gleaming wooden curves and mellow tone, the viola may not seem like a stressful instrument. Yet, the violin's bigger, deeper brother is far more rare in most orchestras, which puts its practitioners squarely in the spotlight.
TALENT SHOWDo you know a child age 15 or younger with a precocious talent in academics, athletics or the arts? The Times Free Press is searching for children to feature in "Talent Show," which appears in the Life section on Tuesdays. To nominate a child as a possible subject of a future feature article, e-mail staff writer Casey Phillips at cphillips@timesfreepress.com or call him at 423-757-6205.
The center of attention is a place Angela Baucom said she'd prefer not to be, even though her technical ability on the viola continues to put her in positions of prominence in area orchestras.
"As a young person, especially if you're in a small town, you really have to be willing to be put on the spot," the 15-year-old said. "There's a lot of pressure because there are 60 violins [in an orchestra] but only four violas, and it's really scary."
This year, Angela took over as the lead, or principal, violist for both the school orchestra at Center for Creative Arts and the Youth Symphony, the most advanced group in the Chattanooga Symphony & Opera Youth Orchestra program.
Angela said the additional pressure of taking on leadership of an already small group of players has increased her stress level, but it also gives her the skills she hopes to put to use some day as a concert violist and musical instructor.
"I feel responsible for [my section]," she explained. "It's really fun because I get to decide bowings and fingerings and help them. I really like that."
Angela took up the viola at age 8, about a year after she began studying violin. She decided to switch after hearing a friend play at a concert and becoming infatuated with its deeper tone. Her mother, Shannon Baucom, made her wait a year before allowing the swap.
For the next several years, Angela faced a difficult decision in whether to follow her newfound passion for music or continue with her studies in a preprofessional ballet program.
That dilemma finally came to a head at age 11 when Angela left the dance program to focus on the viola. It was a difficult choice to make, but when she thinks of how playing music makes her feel, Angela said she knows she made the right decision.
"In dance, you have to have a certain look - you have to be skinny and tall - but in music, you can be any way you want, and it's all about how you play," she said. "I love playing music. It's something that's so much bigger than dance. You can have music without dance, but you really can't have dance without music."
Since she placed her allegiance with music, Angela has pursued opportunities to improve her technique through extracurricular activities and summer programs.
At age 11, she served as the principal violist in the highest-level orchestra of the East Tennessee School Band and Orchestra Association's Lower Area Junior Orchestra Clinic, which she has taken part in every year since. As a rising eighth-grader, she was accepted into the Sewanee Summer Music Festival at the University of the South in Sewanee, Tenn. Last summer, she attended the Southeast Tennessee Chamber Institute at Tennessee Tech University in Cooke-ville.
Angela now is working on audition pieces for two other summer programs: the Brevard Music Center Summer Institute and the Eastern Music Festival.
Taking on so many activities has been difficult, however, which prompted Angela recently to end her participation as the youngest member of the Cadek Community Orchestra.
Being so proactive in developing her skills distinguishes Angela from other young players and should help her achieve her goal of being a professional musician, said CSO violist J.T. Kane, who serves as Angela's private instructor.
"Being so dedicated and knowing what she wants sets her apart," Kane said. "She's definitely on the right path because she's so focused."
And as to the stress she feels? Angela said that music is both a cause and a cure.
"It can be really hard sometimes, but I have to remember that it's not the music, it's just the pressure," she said. "I'm a really stressed-out person a lot, and when I play music, it makes me feel unstressed.
"It's like an escape."