CELINE NAKPIL
Senior, Winston Churchill High School
AS A 5-YEAR-OLD PLAYING with a cardboard violin her mom made out of a Raisin Bran box, Celine Nakpil couldn’t have imagined she’d one day perform with the National Philharmonic at The Music Center at Strathmore in North Bethesda. But the 17-year-old from Potomac has earned that honor twice by winning the philharmonic’s Concerto Competition in 2012 and 2013.
Last year, she competed in five events in Maryland and won or placed in every one, including the Landon Symphonette Young Strings Competition and the Washington Performing Arts Feder Memorial String Competition.
“She’s got a really natural music instinct,” says James Stern, Celine’s private teacher and an associate professor of violin at the University of Maryland, College Park. “As a young person, she has trouble taming that wild animal in her. That can be an exciting thing to hear.”
Celine, who says her mom’s love of music inspired her own interest, practices the violin for 60 to 90 minutes most days. She’s also a top student, maintaining a 3.5 GPA while squeezing in time for her adrenaline-pumping passions: sailing, scuba diving, skiing and snowboarding.
“One of my favorite ways of making music is doing it with other people,” says Celine, who is concertmaster for the Churchill orchestra, and has been concertmaster for four other youth orchestras. “That’s completely enjoyment.”
Kristofer Sanz, Churchill’s instrumental music director, relies on her to help rehearse the ensemble when he’s not there and appreciates that she volunteers during lunch to help students work through a difficult piece of music. “She’s one of those kids who stand out,” Sanz says. “I’ll remember her for a long time.”
When Celine heads to college this fall, she plans to study engineering or medicine and hopes to continue playing the violin.
Photos by Michael Ventura
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