On the Ascent

Yuhong Tu has often struggled to be understood during his years at the College. A native of Nanchang, Jiangxi, in China, the senior music major’s English is good, but like any non-native speaker, some things get lost in translation.

This is one reason that Tu has always loved music.

“Music is a pure form of communication. I love to express myself, so I love to play music,” says Tu, whose instrument of choice is a 100-plus-year-old German violin, a gift from music appreciator Nelson Hicks, whose late wife used to play it. Tu plays it in her memory. “I love the violin because of the unique sound quality and the beautiful shape.”

Tu’s love, talent and tireless dedication to the violin have already taken him around the world to study in Charleston. This past summer, it also took him to the Aspen Music Festival and School in Aspen, Colo., thanks in large part to scholarships from the College and from the music festival and school, and to a modest crowdfunding campaign backed by his friends. In Aspen, Tu studied under world- famous conductors, performed in his first spotlight concert, hiked several nearby mountain trails and, to his surprise, organized his evening schedule around avoiding some of the local wildlife.

“I would practice until 11 p.m.,” he says. “Then I’d take the bus back. If I missed the bus, I’d have to walk, and walking was dangerous because … there were bears.”

Tu actually didn’t see any bears, but one bear did visit his residence hall while he was at practice.

“All these girls are screaming, running around and screaming!” he recalls. “The bear – he doesn’t care. He just walks up, walks around and then he leaves.”

That bear was likely the only thing at the music festival and school that lacked interest in being there. Tu was surrounded by passionate professors from the likes of the Juilliard School, the Yale School of Music and the New England Conservatory of Music, and by new friends from all over the globe, many of whom he accompanied on stage during weekly concert performances. Though he’d known what his course schedule would entail during his time in Colorado, Tu was amazed by just how much he learned; he cites teamwork and collaboration as two critical skills he honed in Aspen.

Now back in Charleston, Tu looks ahead to wrapping up his undergraduate career and saying goodbye to the ensemble of professors and fellow students who have defined his time at the College. Specifically, his goodbye to adjunct faculty member Yuriy Bekker will be bittersweet.

“He has taught me so much about music and about life,” Tu says. “Most importantly, he taught me to calm my mind, focus on what I want the music to say and play it beautifully.”

Tu will keep Bekker’s lesson in mind as he pours his heart and soul into his applications for graduate programs. Where he’ll go next, he’s not sure, but one thing is certain: Tu will leave the College on a high note.

Photo by Kevin Hoth