We love to hear from our TRYPO Alumni about what they have been doing since their time with us. Today we connect with Jimmy Cunningham. Jimmy used to play viola in our Young Peoples Orchestra ensemble and also participated in Youth Chamber Connection (YC²). (Jimmy’s mom, Laurie Cunningham, founded and managed YC² up until this season.) Jimmy writes about everything he has accomplished and what he is up to now:
Hi friends!! I loved my time in TRYPO as YPO principal viola (2012-2014), and I loved playing chamber music from 8th-12th grade with TRYPO’s Youth Chamber Connection while attending CAPA. Since high school, I graduated from the University of Michigan with a degree in Viola Performance; and I’m currently doing graduate work at the Robert McDuffie Center for Strings in Georgia.
Last winter, I was lucky enough to perform a chamber reduction of a Beethoven piano concerto in Rome, Italy, at a chamber festival with other McDuffie students; and this summer, I have been awarded an Orchestral Mentor Fellowship at the Aspen Music Festival, where I’ve studied the past few summers with my teacher Victoria Chiang. A violinist virtuoso, Mr. McDuffie arranges a lot of fun opportunities for us students; including last weekend when we got to play with musicians from the Rolling Stones, R.E.M., and the Allman Brothers in a sold-out concert called “A Night of Georgia Music,” which will be broadcast soon on PBS. Another awesome performance lately was subbing in the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and performing with Andrea Bocelli for an audience of 18,000 people! Thank you, TRYPO, for all of the wonderful experiences you gave me. They certainly helped build my musical foundation and taught me to love orchestra!
-Jimmy Cunningham, TRYPO Alum
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We are so glad to hear about all the awesome things Jimmy is doing! Are you interested in becoming a TRYPO member? Click to learn more about our 2022-23 Season New Member Auditions.
Are you TRYPO Alum and interested in sharing information for an upcoming spotlight? Please fill out our form here. Make sure you also subscribe to our TRYPO Alumni Facebook group, so you never miss out on the latest TRYPO news!