Video: Eighth-Grade Violin Virtuoso Is Only 12

On March 12 outside of ’s McKinney Theater, there was a flurry of activity. As I walked to the ticket window, I saw a group of students I’d met in Joey Sellers' jazz ensemble class.  A few were dressed in black suits and were obviously part of the soon-to-perform orchestra. Shelby Wong arrived with her parents wearing a pretty red dress and bright pink gloves to protect her piano fingers from the cold night.

I looked around for the other two featured students, Katarina “Kasia” Kosmala-Dahlbeck and Tyler McGeogh, who were scheduled to perform as part of the Catch a Rising Star Saddleback Symphony Concert, but didn’t see them. 

The doors opened, and slowly the audience arrived, filling up the auditorium with chatter and warmth. When the orchestra took the stage,  various musical sounds lit up the air as instruments were tuned. When the first violinist made his entrance, a hush fell over the room, followed by respectful applause.  Then walked in Carmen Dominguez, director of instrumental music at Saddleback and the orchestra conductor. Dominguez explained that the first piece they would play was from an opera and not often performed as a solo piece. She advised us to expect several key and melody changes.

The orchestra beautifully performed “The Tragic Overture,” watching their conductor with rapt attention. The second song was a movement from a Greek Suite, originally performed as background music for a play and used to enhance emotion during the theatrical presentation. It was a very pensive, lovely and melancholy piece that grew before our eyes and ears like a beanstalk, branching out with crescendos that heightened its musical impact.

Afterward, the audience was introduced to college trombonist Tyler McGeogh, who soloed on Concertino for Trombone “Allegro Maestoso.” McGeogh was one winner of the Annual Music Teachers Association of California Concerto Competition. Eleven-year-old Shelby Wong was another winner, and she was featured next, playing Beethoven’s Concerto No. 1 for Piano with the symphony. Shelby is a member of the CUSD honor orchestra concert held this month. To close the evening,  Kasia Dahlbeck-Kosmala was the violin soloist, performing Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto in E minor Op. 64.

She took center stage—tall, willowy and confident. Kasia appears much older than 12 years old. It was truly an amazing musical night.

Kasia is an honor student at Shorecliffs Middle School who won first prize in the Alexander and Buono International Spring Competition. The talented violinist made her Carnegie Hall debut at age 11. She speaks three languages (Polish, Swedish and English) and is in the eighth grade because she was double-promoted. Kasia’s studying Spanish as a fourth language. I recently had an opportunity to interview this virtuoso violinist.

Mission Viejo Patch: Tell me about your trip to Poland and the concerts you performed there. 

Kasia Kosmala-Dahlbeck: When my family went to Poland over the summer, we traveled to Krakow, Lancut and Zagan to go to music camps and get together with family.  The concerts I played in Poland were mostly in Lancut and Zagan. I also played on the Town Square in Krakow. During our trip, we were able to see many historic places like the legendary Dragon’s Cave under the Wawel Castle in Krakow. So that was exciting.  Out of my concerts, my most memorable was to play in the grand ballroom of the Lancut Castle solo and with my grandfather.  It was fun because the people that organized the music camp there were able to take all of the students to different concert halls for us to perform as a part of other shows, as well as giving us the opportunity to perform in the castle.

Patch: You said you played with your grandfather.  What instrument does he play?

Kasia: My grandfather is a violin teacher and violist. He currently teaches at UCI and at the Royal Academy of Music in London. He’s regarded as one of the top violists in the world.

Patch:  Did you notice any difference between Polish audiences and American audiences? 

Kasia: Yes. Polish audiences sometimes show more respect for the performer. In addition, the people there seem to pay more attention to the details in the music.

Patch: You won second place in the entire state of California for your original composition. What was the name of it?

Kasia: It was called the “Fictitious Act of Me,” and it was the second movement of the whole production.

Patch: What's more fun, composing, singing or playing your instruments?

Kasia:  It depends. Sometimes, if I have nothing that I really have to do, I love to compose. Also singing or playing my instruments can be fun, especially if I am learning an exceptional piece or if I get to perform in an amazing place.

Patch: How did you get the job of teaching third-grade music? Did you have fun teaching? 

Kasia: My second-grade teacher, who was by then teaching third grade, invited me to come and teach because I had experience in music and my little brother was in that class. I had fun teaching, especially when everyone practiced and the class actually improved to the point that the school invited us to perform at their annual talent show.

Patch: How many hours a day do you practice?

Kasia:  It depends on about a million different things. I try to practice at least 1½ to two hours a day, but sometimes I have so many other things I have to do that it’s impossible.

Patch: What are your long-term musical goals in the future? 

Kasia:  In the future, I plan to get a degree in music and continue playing. I don’t know yet if I want to teach, perform professionally or just play at home,  but I want to keep playing my instruments throughout my life.

Patch: How has music changed your life?

Kasia: Music is inside me all the time, no matter where I am or what I’m doing, because I was exposed to it extremely early. I started playing violin at 2 years old. I have been able to be much more successful in school because of music, and I have also had many great opportunities that I would have never had without the music I play. In addition, it is much easier to connect with different people around the world through music. People have an immediate opinion of my music just because of my name and my [musical] family. Lastly, music is one of the most important parts of my life and gives me an appreciation of the world that I would never have without it.

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