Natasha Marsalli, violin

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Natasha Marsalli was born in rural Bloomington, a city in central Illinois to parents Michael and Natalie Marsalli in 1991. Both her mother and her father are math teachers, her father teaching at the university level after graduating from the University of Chicago and receiving his PhD from the University of Michigan, and her mother gradually leaving behind her high school and remedial math centered teaching career to home school her children. Natasha is the eldest of four, followed by brothers Marcello (13) and Luciano (7), both active singers with an opera company as well as talented violinists, and finally Tatiana (3) who will begin violin lessons this fall.

After her father accepted a new teaching position as the chair of a mathematics and physics department at a private university, the Marsalli family moved to Ann Arbor, Michigan, and then to Naples, Florida, nine months later. The Marsalli family was surprised to find Naples a hub of artistic activity and support, including a nationally acclaimed symphony orchestra and concert hall, art museum, opera company, and numerous local competitions and scholarships centered around promoting artistic excellence in youth. Natasha was home schooled until the seventh grade, when her parents enrolled her in Seton Home Study School, a private preparatory program based out of Virginia. She continued her study with Seton through high school, remaining on their honor roll all four years. As a junior in high school, Natasha dual-enrolled at Ave Maria University, where she studied part time until her graduation from Seton in 2008, completing her freshman year of college and receiving her high school diploma just after her seventeenth birthday.

Although her father wasn't musical at all and her mother sang only semi-professionally, both of Natasha's parents understood the importance of music in a solid education. Thus, Natasha began Suzuki violin lessons at the age of three under the tutelage of Delores Brown, a teacher at a nearby public school. She continued her studies under violist John Borg, who helped Natasha and two of his other violin students form The Conquest Trio, a group which performed locally for small social events, but also secured a gig at The University Club in Chicago and preluded one of Rachael Barton Pine's concerts. Although Natasha continued to perform with them until she moved to Michigan, she switched to violin teacher Leslie Koons in the Pekin Public School district. It was here that Natasha began her orchestral career, playing in their orchestra as well as the Central Illinois Concert Orchestra until her move in 2003. During her brief stay in Ann Arbor, Natasha studied under Suzuki legend Geri Arnold and played with the Ann Arbor School for the Performing Arts Youth Orchestra and their chamber group. Her high school musical career took off as soon as she moved to Florida, where she began lessons under her would-be mentor Patrick Neal, joined the Naples Philharmonic Youth Orchestra, and debuted as a soloist with the Naples Philharmonic Orchestra after winning their concerto competition at the age of fourteen. Natasha remained very active at the Naples Philharmonic Center for the Arts until her graduation, winning their concerto competition a total of three times, holding the youth orchestra's concertmaster position for two years, and playing in the youth string ensemble and quartet. Throughout high school, Natasha won numerous awards from the Naples Music Club and Southwest Florida Symphony Orchestra Competition and established herself as one of the most sought after young local performers. She has been contracted for solo performances by not only local restaurants and art galleries, but also Ave Maria University and the Naples Philharmonic. Natasha was featured in è Bella Magazine's “Women to Watch” column and called “a force to be reckoned with” in the Naples Daily News. The crown jewel of her high school music career came on the occasion of her graduation, where the Naples Philharmonic Youth Orchestra presented her with the Joyce Anne Vitelli Scholarship, an award of fifteen-thousand dollars for outstanding dedication and leadership.

Winning the concerto competition was the pivotal event which turned Natasha's mind towards music as a career. Through this first major accomplishment, she came to realize the potential she had and that she could attain any goal she set through dedicated hard work, including a successful musical career. With the help of her mentor, Patrick Neal, she explored the idea of a career in violin performance through high school, eventually leading to her final decision as a junior in high school. She began looking into music schools across the country, and auditioned at no less than ten universities and conservatories.

Natasha's decision to attend Case Western Reserve University, in Cleveland, Ohio, was chiefly the product of a generous scholarship for academic excellence they offered her, the Provost's Scholarship. She was also very attracted to the close relationship between Case's music department and the Cleveland Institute of Music. Natasha felt that the situation Case offered would provide her with the flexibility to major in music while fulfilling an excellent liberal arts education, also giving her the option to transfer to the conservatory if she later felt it best. Furthermore, she felt that the multitude of opportunities present in University Circle and throughout Cleveland would be an important asset to both her education and her future career. She was placed on the Dean's High Honors List after her first semester. Natasha plans on completing her degree at Case Western in music education, and her degree in violin performance either at Case or the Cleveland Institute of Music under the direction of Dr. Carol Ruzicka. She hopes to eventually finish her education by attaining a Masters degree in music performance.