It’s nine p.m. on a Friday night, and while most students get ready for the weekend — or, perhaps, reluctantly sit down to do some work — freshman Annamaria Riccardi wraps up her last marching band rehearsal of the season. But that certainly isn’t the end of her ongoing journey as a flutist — a journey that includes hours of practice and a well-regarded position on Huron’s Symphony band.
“I don’t remember the exact reason I chose flute, I just remember wanting to learn it ever since around 2nd grade,” Riccardi said. “However, now that I think back, it was definitely the right choice! Small case, no transposing, no reed making, relatively fewer child-prodigies-that-are-double-your-talent, shimmering solos in orchestra…what more can I ask for?”
Riccardi credits her longtime involvement in music for her success during Symphony auditions.
“Starting music from a young age definitely helped,” Riccardi said. “I’ve been playing piano since I was seven, and a lot of musical skills transfer over to flute.”
In addition to being a part of Huron’s marching and Symphony bands, Riccardi is a part of the Detroit Symphony Youth Orchestra and Detroit Symphony Youth Wind Ensemble, and got into All-State, which will be in January.
“I think the whole process is just very rewarding,” Riccardi said, on what keeps her passionate about continuing to play the flute. “After you prepare for weeks or even months, you finally get to share your music on stage to an audience, or perhaps you do well in a competition/audition and get accepted into a top ensemble.”
It’s a very special feeling, Riccardi notes, to be able to add more beauty to the world and touch the emotions of your audience. But in every journey, no matter what kind it may be, there are always highs and lows.
“My biggest challenge is motivation,” Riccardi said. “Sometimes I’ll be extremely motivated and practice for hours, and other times I will not feel like practicing at all.”
Another challenge Riccardi has is, at times, judging herself really harshly.
“Maybe another challenge would be seeing myself in better light,” Riccardi said. “Often I judge my playing really harshly, and maybe I should start being a bit more positive about that.”
Her inspirations, however, keep her going when she feels down.
“Emmanuel Pahud, Yubeen Kim, and Melody Shen are all people who inspire me when I’m frustrated or uninterested,” Riccardi said. “I know that they put in a lot of effort into their craft, and being good won’t happen overnight!”
