![“[Building nerf blasters] became this outlet of creativity for me that hasn't been matched by anything else. The process [of] making a build complete to your desire is such a painstakingly difficult process, but I've had to learn from [the skills needed from] soldering to proper painting. There's so many different options for everything, if you think about it, it exists. The best part is [that] if it doesn't exist, you can build it yourself," Ishaan Parate said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/DSC_8149-900x604.jpg)
![“When I came into high school, I was ready to be a follower. But DECA was a game changer for me. It helped me overcome my fear of public speaking, and it's played such a major role in who I've become today. To be able to successfully lead a chapter of 150 students, an officer team and be one of the upperclassmen I once really admired is something I'm [really] proud of,” Anvitha Tummala ('21) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Screen-Shot-2021-07-25-at-9.50.05-AM-900x594.png)
![“I think getting up in the morning and having a sense of purpose [is exciting]. I think without a certain amount of drive, life is kind of obsolete and mundane, and I think having that every single day is what makes each day unique and kind of makes life exciting,” Neymika Jain (12) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Screen-Shot-2017-06-03-at-4.54.16-PM.png)
![“My slogan is ‘slow feet, don’t eat, and I’m hungry.’ You need to run fast to get where you are–you aren't going to get those championships if you aren't fast,” Angel Cervantes (12) said. “I want to do well in school on my tests and in track and win championships for my team. I live by that, [and] I can do that anywhere: in the classroom or on the field.”](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/DSC5146-900x601.jpg)
![“[Volleyball has] taught me how to fall correctly, and another thing it taught is that you don’t have to be the best at something to be good at it. If you just hit the ball in a smart way, then it still scores points and you’re good at it. You could be a background player and still make a much bigger impact on the team than you would think,” Anya Gert (’20) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/AnnaGert_JinTuan_HoHPhotoEdited-600x900.jpeg)
![“I'm not nearly there yet, but [my confidence has] definitely been getting better since I was pretty shy and timid coming into Harker my freshman year. I know that there's a lot of people that are really confident in what they do, and I really admire them. Everyone's so driven and that has really pushed me to kind of try to find my own place in high school and be more confident,” Alyssa Huang (’20) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/AlyssaHuang_EmilyChen_HoHPhoto-900x749.jpeg)
Frank Almond performs a Stradivarius’ life
Special to The Winged Post
A VIOLIN FOR THE CENTURIES: Concertmaster Frank Almond holds the famous 1715 Lipinski Stradivarius violin. He will be performing in the first Concert Series of the year on Friday.
Frank Almond, current owner of the famous 1715 Lipinski Stradivarius, will perform in the Harker Concert Series in Nichols Hall on Friday at 8 p.m.
Almond is currently the concertmaster of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, part of the An Die Musik chamber group in New York City and his own Frankly Music Series in Milwaukee. He grew up in San Diego, began playing the violin at age five, and left high school for Juilliard at sixteen.
“I don’t think you really can decide that you want to be a professional classical musician anymore, as strange as that sounds,” Frank Almond said. “In this country, classical music is a very strange occupation, and it is, even for me this day. Moving to New York and being in an environment like Juilliard kind of crystallized it for me to give it a shot.”
Almond acquired the 1715 Lipinski Stradivarius 299 years after it was first crafted by luthier Antonio Stradivari. He wants to showcase the Stradivarius’s life story and history as part of his concert series.
“It felt like a painting [that] you stare at on the wall, and its great,” he said. “But if it’s an instrument, it sounds different and plays differently, and you have a different kind of experience. That would be the goal of this: examination of the history of the category of the instrument, and how it related to real people over a period of about 300 years and how it still does.”
Upper School orchestra conductor, Chris Florio hopes to have Frank Almond’s music and story inspire the Harker community.
“He’s a really great player. He was also a competitive teenager, so he can relate to a lot of the young musicians we have and he can connect with them,” Chris Florio, the Upper School orchestra conductor said.
Almond’s performance will kick off the fifth annual Concert Series.
“I am looking forward to going to the Frank Almond concert because I have never heard a Stradivarius played before, and who better to hear it played by than a person with such a passion for music?” Stephanie Swanson (9) said.
Upcoming performances in the Concert Series include the Taylor Eigsti Trio and Afiara Quartet.
Ashley Jiang (11) is the photo editor for Winged Post. This is her third year in the journalism program, and she was a reporter her freshman and sophomore...