Play Like a Diva—Make Them Feel Something
Tove is a violist in the MYS Symphony Orchestra and a 12th grader at Woodbury High School. She studies viola with Miriam Griffiths, has studied piano with Miriam Griffiths, Rachel Lonetti, and Anton Melnichenko, and has studied oboe with John Griffiths, Sarah O'Connor, and Merilee Klemp.
Tove displays an impressive command over not one but three instruments—piano, viola, and oboe—but her musical journey began long before she ever picked up an instrument. Her parents are both musicians: her father, John, is a saxophonist and former band director, and her mother, Miriam, is a violinist and a former MYS student herself. “I grew up hearing my mom playing the violin a lot in our house,” Tove recalls. It felt natural, then, to take up the viola for school orchestra in fourth grade, already having studied piano since age five. In fifth grade, when it came time to choose a band instrument, she was leaning toward clarinet until her dad played a recording of “Gabriel’s Oboe.” She remembers thinking, “Okay, that’s what I definitely want to play!” For years, Tove aspired to play in MYS like her mom had, and she finally joined in 2022 as a freshman—she even proudly wears her mom’s old MYS sweatshirt from time to time.
Since joining MYS, Tove has expanded her understanding of orchestral repertoire, and in doing so, she’s discovered how her musical preferences can evolve over time. “The more I learn about the pieces, the more I like playing them, and then I feel there’s a purpose to play them,” she shares. By the time a concert rolls around, even the most challenging and unfamiliar works become some of her favorites. Beyond orchestra, Tove also attended Stringwood Chamber Music Festival last summer, where she performed Beethoven’s String Quartet No. 1 and Shostakovich’s String Quartet No. 8 with a group of students who bonded closely over the two-week session. Of the Shostakovich, she simply says, “it’s so good—it’s so fun!”
A pivotal lesson for Tove has been realizing the deep meaning music can hold for listeners. In her final preparations for the MYS Symphony Solo Competition last fall, after months of technical work, Tove's mom (who is also her viola teacher) encouraged her to focus more on expression: "Play with a ton of expression and energy, showing your vibrato and energetic bowing to express your music—play like a diva! Your audience won't remember if you miss a few notes, but, rather, your audience will remember how you make them feel." That concept proved true when Tove played a movement of Bach’s Cello Suite No. 1 at church. After the service, a woman approached her to share that the piece held deep personal meaning—she had played recordings of that piece while her sister was passing away. Tove went on to play the Bach solo pieces for her own grandma in hospice and Tove's Mom was deeply moved by the "heavenly" beauty of the music. In those moments, Tove understood that music isn’t only about what the performer is doing; it’s also about the feelings it can evoke in others.
Tove plans to major in music at St. Olaf College and already has an adventurous vision for what will come after. Fluent in Spanish thanks to thirteen years spent in South Washington County's Spanish Immersion program, she hopes to move to Spain after college to continue studying viola. With an extensive background in dance, she’s excited by the possibility of exploring flamenco as well. The idea of immersing herself in another culture’s musical and artistic traditions is especially enticing. Anticipating the possibilities, she explains, “It just seems like it would be ten times more fun to be a musician in Europe!”
