Imagine a world where one of the most important and valued things to you is your violin. You practice three to 4 hours everyday. This is what life is like for Katya Moeller ’22.  Moeller started playing the violin when she was 4, and she’s not the only musician in the family. “My mom was a pianist, so I went to a lot of concerts as a little girl,” Moeller said.  According to her mom, at the end of the concert, she said, “‘I want to play the violin’ and then they enrolled me at Preucil School of Music, and I was there for four years.”

Moeller’s mom Ksenia Nosikova describes Katya as “Very talented, mature beyond her age and passionate about music.” Moeller’s mom, Dr Nosikova, knows a lot about music herself, as she is a professional pianist.  Dr Nosikova was happy when Moeller chose to pursue the violin.  “Violin was a perfect choice for us since it was a different instrument but  I could still accompany her violin pieces on the piano,“ Nosikova said. The two have played together for 10 years, and their duet shows no signs of stopping. ¨Playing together has remained our favorite thing to do, ¨ said her mother.

It’s not easy to become a talented violinist at such a young age. It takes a lot of work and dedication.  Moeller described her day:  “Practice, practice, practice, 3 to 4 hours. I wake up and I do an hour then I get dressed. I come home, eat a snack and then I practice. Then I eat dinner and then I practice and do homework.”  Moellerś junior high orchestra teacher recognizes the hard work that she puts into her music. “Katya is a very disciplined violinist and because of this has accomplished a great deal in her young life. I tend to think that she knows what she wants out of life and knows that hard work is the way to make it happen.”

On top of her academic education at West High, Katya attends camps and academies aimed at improving talents.  “I applied to Music Institute of Chicago Academy- it’s this school from September to May, every Saturday from 9 to 6.”   She takes music theory and music history classes too at the Music Institute of Chicago as well.

Moeller has big plans for the future.  Like one of her idols, Yo Yo Ma, Moeller has been playing the violin since she was 4.  She sees herself traveling the world and performing like him too. “I want to be a concert violinist so I can travel the world and play in concert halls…. kind of like Yo Yo Ma, but like, I’ll never be as good as him,” Moeller said.  Her mom believes she has a great future ahead of her. “She can reach the top of the performing profession if she wants to,” Nosikova said.

Moeller’s musical life has already given her many amazing opportunities. She has travelled and met people from all over the world. She has attended Bowdoin International Music Festival in Maine. She has travelled to Italy for the last 4 years and attended music festivals there. Her music has taken her to Vienna and next fall she will travel to Brazil to perform in concerts. Moeller competes against other musicians and she has done well. “The end result is winning competitions and money.”  Moeller attends MIC on a scholarship she won.

Moeller  has come a long way since she was four. “I started on a cardboard box with a little ruler sticking out of it. And I would come to my lesson and I would hold it and my teacher would teach me how to hold the stick and where to put my fingers.”  She has gone from a little girl playing on a box to a young adult travelling the world and meeting new people, gaining experience and improving her craft. At the end of the day, there just might be some of that 4 year old little girl left in Moeller, as she says “Twinkle Twinkle is my ride or die!”