Violinist | FROM THE COVER: Busy Teen Violinist Goes For Bruch With Bremerton Symphony

Marie Rossano, just 16, is one of the Puget Sound area's busiest and most acclaimed young soloists, guesting with more than a dozen orchestras on a regimen of concerti that would make most violinists' heads swim.
This weekend, she comes off one high-profile concert " April 10 at the University of Washington, fronting Seattle Philharmonic for Shostakovich's concerto " to meet back up with her childhood friend Bruch for a performance with the Bremerton Symphony, the featured piece in their "Inspiring Virtuosity" program.
"I learned the Bruch as a child," said Rossano, who's been piling up prestigious awards including the title of First Laureate in the junior division of the 2010 Stradivarius International Competition, and last year's Seattle Philharmonic Don Bushell Concerto Competition " for which she played the Shostakovich, a piece that has been in her repertoire for several years.

"She has the depth and passion of someone three times her age," Seattle Philharmonic music director Adam Stern told the Seattle Times.Bremerton Symphony music director Alan Futterman didn't have to go far to find Rossano. She's concertmaster of his Academy Chamber Orchestra in Seattle.

"Last year he mentioned Bremerton, and asked if I wanted to come over and do a concerto," she said. "That it came so soon after the (Seattle Philharmonic) performance was just a coincidence."Coincidence or not, going from one demanding concerto to another in six days' time seemed only a minor concern to Rossano, who first took up the violin when she was 3.

"I think it was my grandmother's idea," she said. "My dad was one of eight children, and she wanted him to play, but he never got around to it. So she put the violin in my hands instead."
She made her orchestral debut at 11, and two years later was the gold medalists in the Seattle Young Artists Music Festival. She has racked up an impressive list of appearances not only with local symphonies, but at chamber music festivals around the western U.S. This summer, she'll play at the Strings Music Festival in Steamboat Springs, Colo., and the Deer Valley Music Festival with the Utah Symphony.
Then it's off to college " and not just any college. Despite being the equivalent of a junior in high school, she's already been accepted to the prestigious Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, where she starts in the fall.
Partly because of her regimen of practice, lessons and performances, Rossano has been home-schooled since ninth grade. She's responsible for much of her own curriculum, but said her parents both have taken an active role in her education.
"They both work from home, which helps a lot," she said. "They've both found me good textbooks, and my dad found the history curriculum that I'm using."Being at home during the day has allowed Rossano to take a less rigid approach to practicing. As opposed to setting aside large blocks of time to rehearse, she said she plays at bits and starts throughout the day."I don't practice all at once," she said. "I study a little, practice a little, and try to keep it pretty loose. They say it helps with the memory to do it that way."


After completing her studies at Curtis, Rossano said she'd like to become a touring soloist, but admitted that there might be more opportunity " at least initially " as a chamber musician.
"I love chamber music," she said. "Before I got so busy with the solo stuff, I used to play in a quartet, some trios, even an octet. I used to lead a string orchestra, which is reuniting, actually, for a benefit concert (for Japanese earthquake and tsunami relief) May 1 at the Daniels Recital Hall (Fifth and Marion in downtown Seattle).

"I aspire to be a soloist, but I know it's a tough field."Rossano said getting her to revisit the Bruch concerto, which she also played back in January with the Lake Union Civic Orchestra, wasn't exactly an arm-twister, saying the piece "has a little bit of everything."The third movement is virtuosic," she said, "but I think the second movement is actually the heart and soul of the piece. I'm looking forward to playing it again."