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Career prospects are music to his ears
Talented cellist, 17, won place in elite symphony program
Wednesday, Nov. 25, 2009
 Click here to enlarge this photo Staff photos by EMILY BARNES
Nathaniel Taylor, 17, a senior at North Point High School in Waldorf and a member of the National Symphony Orchestra's youth fellowship program, is lost in the music as he rehearses a piece on his cello.
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When Nathaniel Taylor plays the cello a multitude of expressions flash across his face that paint a picture of a young man lost in a world of music and imagination.
Taylor, 17, a senior at North Point High School in Waldorf, has been a member of the National Symphony Orchestra's youth fellowship program for two years. He has played the cello since he was a student at Benjamin Stoddert Middle School, said Jean Taylor, his mother and an employee of the Maryland Independent. He began his musical journey in fifth grade at Dr. Gustavus Brown Elementary School in Waldorf playing the violin, but he didn't care for the instrument, she said, adding the cello was too difficult for him to navigate on and off the school bus.
"Cello was his first choice," she said. "He came home one day and said, ‘Mommy, I'm going to play the cello.'"
"It wasn't much fun playing the violin," Nathaniel said. "Cello was my first love. I didn't favor the violin too much. Just the size of the cello appealed to me."
Nathaniel's love affair with the instrument continues to grow, he said, adding he practices the instrument three or more hours a day.
"When I play I really focus on it," he said. "I have to stop myself from playing sometimes to remind myself that I've got to eat."
Nathaniel's love of classical music began at a very young age when his parents played the classics to help lull him to sleep, his mother said. His dad, Jerry Taylor, also loves orchestra music and often played it in the car.
The NSO's youth fellowship program is at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., and the Taylors had to travel to town for Nathaniel to audition for the program once they learned that his application was approved, his mother said.
Nathaniel was one of six youth musicians who were selected that year to become part of the program, said Carole Wysocki, the NSO's director of education. There are only 20 students who participate in the program at a time, she said, adding that there is one youth musician from St. Mary's County and another who lives in Calvert County who are participating in the program.
The youth fellowship program, established 30 years ago, is an orchestral training program for high school students in the Washington, D.C., area, Wysocki said. Past participants in the program include cellists Zuill Bailey, artistic director of the El Paso [Texas] Pro Music Chamber Festival, and Rachel Young, who performs with the NSO, she said. Other notable participants are Jennifer Montone, the principal French horn player with the Philadelphia Orchestra, and Jeremy Kurtz, principal bass player with the San Diego Symphony.
Nathaniel's schedule is packed with rehearsals, concerts, master classes, recitals and lessons, Jean Taylor said.
He plays cello with the Maryland Classic Youth Orchestra in Bethesda, the Mormon Orchestra of Washington, D.C., and he is the principal cellist with the Charles County Youth Orchestra. He also played with the Maryland Classic Youth Orchestra in Bethesda last year.
The past three summers, Nathaniel attended the Performing Arts Institute at Wyoming Seminary in Kingston, Pa.
Nathaniel has attended master classes at the Kennedy Center with several notable performers, including cellists Bailey and David Teie and the Shanghai String Quartet.
"The program is well-respected across the country," Wysocki said. "It has a good reputation. The students who are accepted in the program are the top musicians in the area."
Students frequently observe NSO rehearsals and attend question-and-answer sessions with guest artists, Wysocki said. They also perform four or five recitals each season at the Kennedy Center.
Last year, Nathaniel met renowned violinist Itzhak Perlman, his mother said.
Nathaniel's future in the profession is bright, said Steven Honigberg, his private teacher.
"Nathaniel wants to major in music and that's a very difficult road even if you have talent," he said. "He has the enthusiasm for the instrument that I recognize and like. I know that he puts his all into every practice. He enjoys the instrument. He has enthusiasm that will go far for him."
Nathaniel said Honigberg has really helped him hone his talent.
"Ever since I started studying with him I've improved so much," he said. "If I hadn't been able to get into the program I wouldn't be as good as I am now. This teacher pushes me."
Nathaniel's talent is extraordinary, said Marvin VanDyke Jr., a music teacher at North Point who serves as the director of the school's band and orchestra.
"Nathaniel Taylor is the finest example that I can think of what you can do with a public education if you're given the chance," he said, adding that Nathaniel is the principal cellist in the North Point High School Orchestra. "He's at the pinnacle of his talent. He's one of the 10 most talented kids that I've taught in my life, and I've taught literally thousands of kids during my career."
Nathaniel said he is setting his sights on the New England Conservatory of Music, Tufts University, Boston University or Brandeis University to continue his music studies, adding he hopes to play the cello as a career.
"If I'm really good and keep working at it I'll be able to make a living from it," he said. "I would be very happy to play the cello all of my life. I don't really see this as a hobby anymore. I see it as a musical gift. It's like ‘wow, I'm really good at this.' I stack up to musicians who have been doing this for 10 years or more."
He also plays guitar and classical piano, his mother said, adding that she never imagined her son would take his love for the cello this far.
"I just thought that he wanted to play it because he was in a music class at school," she said. "I didn't realize then that he was going to become the musician he is now. I didn't see this coming when he came home from school one day and said that he would like to play the cello."
The harried schedule that Nathaniel has to keep is well worth it, she added.
"When I listen to the magnificent music being played and I know that my child is part of it, it makes everything worthwhile," she said.
"Playing the cello is always a lot of fun for me," Nathaniel said. "I'm doing what I love and I'm amongst friends. I enjoy it, especially when my mom is sitting in the front row."
