Meet Beatrice—alumna, Super Bowl performer, and future MBA grad

It was like putting on the Sorting Hat in Harry Potter. Except, instead of learning the name of her Hogwarts House, Beatrice was about to discover which instrument would become her focus for the next few years. She held her breath as the paper slid her way across the table.

The recollection is funny to her now. "I thought I was going to get the clarinet or flute. But I looked down and it said 'violin'. My teacher said, 'It suits you.'" Turns out her teacher was right; it was meant to be.

Now it's hard to imagine her life without the instrument. Thanks to Beatrice's tenacity and undeniable talent, she's performed at more venues in a handful of years than many get to perform in a lifetime. To name a few—the Super Bowl (where she played with Coldplay, alongside Beyoncé, Mark Ronson, and Bruno Mars, no biggie), the Hollywood Bowl, and Mexico City with her all-time favorite conductor and musician, Gustavo Dudamel.

Her accomplishments helped shape her view of herself and her abilities. She participated in our Youth Orchestra Los Angeles (YOLA) at Exposition Park program, a partnership with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the EXPO Center, and decided one year she wanted to become concertmaster—which is exactly what she did. "I worked my butt off for that," she recalls.

These days, the violin is still a huge part of her life. She's earning her bachelor's in violin performance, and has her eye on business school in the future. And luckily for us, she's working part-time in our communications department too.

So, what would life have been like without Harmony Project, the Sorting Hat moment (she’s a Gryffindor, for the record), or the violin? At the question, she's immediately pensive. "I don't think I would have been able to play music, no. I'm happy things turned out the way they did."

We couldn't agree more.