Apr. 18, 2024 -- Sophia Muller, concertmaster and first chair of the violin section of the Heights High Symphony will be the featured senior soloist during the Instrumental Music Department’s Spring Finale Concert on Friday, April 26 at 7:00 p.m.
She will perform The Lark Ascending by Ralph Vaughan Williams with the Heights High Symphony.
According to Director of Orchestras Daniel Heim, as concertmaster “Sophia understands her responsibility. It’s harder than it looks. It brings a lot of challenges and pressure with it. She’s a great concertmaster and a great leader. I’m sure that’s going to serve her well in other places, too.”
Sophia Muller began her violin journey at age four, but has always been surrounded by music. Her mother, a professional violist, was her first teacher. At age five, Sophia began studying with Stephen Sims, who has been her teacher since then. From ages six to fourteen, Sophia participated in the Suzuki program at the Cleveland Institute of Music (CIM), where she took music theory, group, and performance classes. She also performed with the Beginning and Preparatory Youth Orchestras at CIM for six years. Sophia has participated in CH-UH school orchestras since the second grade at Fairfax Elementary School.
At Heights High, Sophia was principal second violin of the Heights High Symphony during her freshman year and has served as concertmaster since her sophomore year. She has been the first violinist of the Heights High String Quartet since that year, when she also served as concertmaster for the “Beyond Beethoven Project” led by the Cavani Quartet. Sophia was a co-concertmaster for the 2022 Heights production of Sister Act and led as concertmaster for both the 2023 Heights High IMD Centennial Concert and the Heights High Symphony’s tour to Chicago. Sophia was a member of the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra in her junior year and has recently been named a finalist in the 2024 Kenyon Music Scholarship competition.
Outside of music, Sophia is a co-captain of the Heights Swim Team, where she has served as a four-year varsity and A-relay member. She swims for the Blazing Barracudas club team in the off-season and for the Heights Tigersharks in the summer, where she also enjoys teaching swim lessons. Sophia is secretary of the 2024 Class Council, a member of the National Honor Society, and was named an AP Scholar with Distinction in 2023. Sophia plans to attend college next year, majoring in Psychology on a Pre-Law track and minoring in Music.
Sophia would like to thank her friends, family, and countless mentors for all their love and support. Special shout-outs go to Mr. Pharis, Ms. Holaway, and Mr. Heim for always making the school orchestra one of her favorite periods of the day. All the thanks in the world to Stephen Sims who has nurtured her love for the violin, a gift for which Sophia is eternally grateful. Finally, Sophia would like to thank her amazing mom, Laura Shuster, for introducing her to one of her life's greatest passions and supporting her throughout everything she has done.
On Friday, April 26, the Heights High Symphony Strings will perform City of Steel by Doug Spata and Solace by Scott Joplin. Symphonic Winds will perform Ralph Vaughan Williams’ “Songs from Somerset” from English Folk Song Suite, Hans Zimmer’s “Themyscira” from Wonder Woman 1984 arranged by Victor Lopez, and Fate of the Gods by Steven Reineke. The night will end with a performance of Selections from Star Wars: The Force Awakens by the two ensembles.
The April 25 concert will feature performances by the Concert Band, Concert Orchestra, and Philharmonic Strings. This will include a combined orchestra performance of the main theme to The Incredibles and a performance of an arrangement of George F. Handel’s “La Rejouissance” from Royal Fireworks Music by all three ensembles.
Both the April 25 and 26 concerts will be hosted in the Main Auditorium of Cleveland Heights High School and will be followed by a reception in the cafeteria.
There will be no cost for admission to the concerts. Instead, the Band and Orchestra Parent Organization (BOPO) will be accepting donations that will directly go towards supporting instrumental music at Heights High School.