Today we’d like to introduce you to Yvonne Smith.
Hi Yvonne, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My musical journey began at the age of three when I started piano lessons with my mother. My father, an orchestra conductor, introduced me to the instruments of the orchestra when I was five, and I fell in love with the sound of the viola. At the age of 9, I started playing viola through the music program at my elementary school in upstate New York, and shortly afterwards I began taking private viola lessons.
A few years and cross-country moves later, we were in Baltimore, Maryland, where my passion for music rapidly grew. That school year in eighth grade was a particularly challenging one, as I dealt with bullies all day, but I found solace in practicing viola for hours after school. This year was also the year that my Christian faith was grown, challenged, and refined. After graduating as a co-valedictorian from Baltimore School for the Arts in 2009, I moved to Houston and completed my Bachelor of Music (2013) and Master of Music (2015) degrees in viola performance from the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University. Studying with James Dunham and Joan DerHovsepian, playing in the incredible orchestra, and experiencing the camaraderie among the other students there were particularly influential during my time at Rice.
Shortly after I graduated, I was able to delve more into historically informed performance – studying the performance practice of the time that composers like Bach, Mozart, and Beethoven were writing music. This involves playing on instruments that these composers would have written for. In 2016, I founded La Speranza, a historical string quartet based in Houston that performs both time-honored and overlooked chamber music from the 18th and 19th centuries. Other historical performance practice (HIPP) ensembles I perform with Teatro Nuovo (NJ/NY), Lyra Baroque (MN), American Bach Soloists (CA), Ars Lyrica Houston (TX), and Handel & Haydn (MA). I also perform often with the Houston Symphony, enjoying a year-long contract for three out of the past five seasons.
I am happily based in Houston and newly married (in August) to Nathan. We have a cat and two guinea pigs who thankfully get along! We enjoy board gaming, quiet evenings, and spending time together.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
As a freelance musician, it can be easy to just take all of the gigs out of fear of missing out later. Then, as I have done, you look up and realize you’re feeling burnt out and stretched too thin. When this has happened in the past, it takes an honest conversation with yourself to understand what it is you really want to keep and what you need to let go of. Even if it can’t happen right away for financial reasons, pruning back parts of the schedule that are leading to burnout have been an essential part of sustaining my freelance career.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m especially proud of the varied nature of my performance opportunities. Not only do I regularly perform with the Houston Symphony, run and play for La Speranza, and play in all those HIPP ensembles, but I also have gotten to record an album (Costero) with Slow Meadow, perform on the Harvest Arts Hymn Tour, play in the Houston Ballet and Grand Opera Orchestras, and perform and record in several local church bands. I’m so grateful for all of the opportunities I’ve had in my career!
Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
Being with my husband, spending time in our communities (church, music, family, friends, etc), snuggling my guinea pigs, and playing great music are some of the things that make me happy. In general, being cozy and investing in people and my communities – things that matter more than material wealth!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.yvonnesmithviola.com/
- Instagram: @ysmithvla
