realizing the FULL SCOPE

by Veronica Meiss

Most first lunches, the sound of a viola can be heard among the conversations in the mall.

Following the sound will lead the curious to a single violist playing Irish jigs and pop songs near the auxiliary office. At his feet, the case is open and occasionally, students will drop a dollar bill in.

Sometimes, someone will have a song request. If he doesn’t know the tune, junior Wolfgang Sell will take the next few days listening to it on repeat. His ability to recognize notes and chords by ear allows him to play songs by listening to them.

Those talents allow Sell to excel not only in solo performance, but as the principal viola in Chambers Orchestra. He auditioned for district orchestra and was awarded fourth chair. He then auditioned for all-state orchestra and was placed in twelfth chair. He was also accepted into the Esterhazy String Quartet Seminar held at Missouri State University.

Regardless of his accomplishments, Sell still doubts his musical ability. When he performed at the state level, he considered himself the worst player there. He thought he must have barely gotten in.

“It’s pretty common across teenagers,” Sell said. “We’re always struggling with thoughts of ‘we’re not good enough.’ But you’re way better than you think you are. You’re just hardwired to think that you’re not enough because that’s what people have told us in our lives.”

Sell knows he is talented, regardless of the thoughts that plague him. He knows he was born with a gift, but he knows he wouldn’t have gotten anything if he hadn’t worked for it. He says that just being gifted doesn’t automatically equal success.

“You can’t just get it,” Sell said. “I have some gift, but giftedness can only take you so far. You can be naturally born with talent, but you have to work hard to actually realize the full scope of it.”

Sell uses those first lunch concerts as preparation for future performances. He hopes the more he plays those Irish jigs and covers of “Hamilton” songs, the more he can ease his performance nerves. With the solo and ensemble contest coming up April 15, Sell plans on performing Sonata for Viola Schubert and participating in a group performance with the hope of achieving a 1.