Meet The 2022 NEXTGen Musicians

Percussion and Vocals are the center to most rock songs and to be the center of a song is important to me. To do both at the same time brings attention to me so I can show my capability. My music, specifically rock, makes me feel connected to my family who’ve introduced me to the music I know now. The mixed genres of music that I play represents the diversity in the music I listen to. I've been inspired to sing and play drums after seeing kids my age get recognition for being in bands. My music is my way of expressing my style and is my way of feeling free from stress. I plan to grow my music career performing around New York City. 

Damian Vaganov is a person who loves music. He was exposed to classical music the moment he was born. He discovered his passion for music when he met his music teacher. She changed his whole outlook on music. She made music a major part of Damian’s life. Damian learned how to express himself through music. 

Damian is a well-rounded individual who knows how to swim, ski, play tennis, participated in, and won Judo tournaments, boxes, loves to learn new languages. Damian has participated in many piano concerts and competitions, which include Steinway Hall, Brooklyn Conservatory, Baruch College, and many others. Damian hopes to influence people through music and make them appreciate it as much as he does.

Jane Robinson started playing the violin at the age of 4. She particularly enjoys playing chamber music and has performed at the Rose Studio of Lincoln Center with her school chamber music group. Jane enjoys teaching violin to students and through COVID has performed in numerous virtual concerts for the homebound. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, learning new things, and volunteering at an animal shelter, working with cats. Jane attends Hunter College High School. Her violin teachers are Elizabeth Faidley and Adelya Nartadjieva. 

Karoline Castillo Troncoso is a 15 year old girl who was born in the Bronx, New York. She has been singing for what feels like all of her life, yet has only recently enhanced her vocal ability during a program titled “Shakespeare” at the Archer Elementary (P.S. 531) school in the Bronx during the ages of 10, 11, and 12. She has since then learned about the processes that occur when one sings and has naturally deepened her love for the activity. Karoline’s zeal for singing only intensifies as she continues  to discover her full potential. 

I am Nathaniel Andrew Matthie, and when I look at myself in the mirror in the morning I was question myself on this one question. Who I am? I’ve never been able to give myself a clear answer, I’ve been told kind hearted, gentleman, sweetheart, and many other good and bad names, but when I think about that question I always think of what I love the most. I love listening to music and making music, I love drawing, I love playing games, and I love helping people. Which then influences the decisions I make that dictate the rest of my life, I’ve decided to go into music and to go into nursing. I want to persue nursing because I am put into the position where as I can educate people on how to help themselves. And I am going into music because music is something that’s helped me in my life when I was down, when I was rotting, when I was in need of help. It has been a light in my life and I feel that music is its own thing but has created a whole personality built to make, listen, sing, and be with music so I can spread it to the world and allow others to see what music really is. 

Music, to me, consists of more than notes on a page or the sound that comes out of an instrument: it is also a vibrant community of passionate artists and attentive listeners. When it comes to music, my goal is spreading this community to as many people as I can, whether it be for the musicians I teach, or the audiences I play for. It is exceedingly important that the people I interact with feel comfortable and accepted in the environment that we cultivate together. Growing up as a young musician, I understand the value that music brings to the lives of many children. Because of this experience, I am certain that music plays a vital role in someone's upbringing, since it fosters creativity and allows for an emotional outlet that may not be present otherwise. I have been playing both classical and flamenco guitar for 11 years now, with some of my favorite composers being Augustin Barrios, Isaac Albeniz, and Paco de Lucia.      

Hello, my name is Reyna Cortes, I enjoy Music, and want to one day have a career with music. I want to do this because I feel like I could connect to music more than drawing and other things. It’s a common form of expression I like to use and so I would like to create music for others. Sometimes I want to create music that makes people aware of their surroundings like real-world issues. Music is something everyone listens to; I believe that if you add something that could make people aware of anything, they could take action and do great things. Something else I have been wanting to do was to include Cello in more music. When I have played the Cello I've listened to the very strong sound it creates when you play it. And I have wondered why I haven't heard it in many songs recently and I thought it would be fun to add classic instruments that you would not hear much in music now, to add in new music!  

I’ve been playing violin for more than ten years. Fascinated by music, I enjoy exploring it through different experiences: challenging myself by learning new beats, practicing for auditions, learning history behind the music, playing in orchestras, going to live concerts, participating in string summer camps, and performing on different occasions. Having a few years experiences of volunteering for Bronx House Music Brigade, a touring company of young musicians performing in local hospitals nursing homes, I learned a lot about the therapeutic power of live music. Since then, the topic of mental and the the health and what role music plays in our social-emotional well-being became interesting to me. I don't know my career path yet but I know for sure that I will advocate for music education. I want music to return back to New York City public school. From this program, I would like to try to teach younger kids through their instrumental journey as well to know more about the business part behind the art, such as applying for funding or searching for sponsors. Also, I would like to be surrounded by people who have similar goals as me. 

The 3 W’s Why, When, and Where when learning literature we are told to base our responses on these 3 w’s and as such, what I was once taught I shall once again use. Why do I play the violin? While there are many reasons why. One of the main reasons is just simply because of the joy it brings me. Listening to the amazing sounds it could make. Often times like voices singing to you. It truly is amazing. Moving onto the when, while I truly wish that I could say that I play the violin all the time unfortunately that is just not the case. A mix of not enough time and too much time is what I always say but in the back of my head I know that it really comes down to me and the decisions I choose to make and as such, realizing this I choose to put an end to the phenomenon known as laziness and become the best violinist I can be.