On that Note: Alwyn Wright

Posted on March 04, 2022

On that Note introduces a member of the orchestra. Today, we're featuring Alwyn Wright, Violin

Hometown?

Woodacre, California.

What year did you join the orchestra, and how long have you been playing music?

I joined Eugene Symphony in the fall of 2019 and I have been playing the violin since I was eight years old….let’s just say it’s been many, many years.

What made you decide to play your instrument?

Peer pressure! I had two violinists in my family and also my best friend was a violinist.

When you’re not playing your instrument(s), what would we most likely find you doing?

Hiking! Especially in the rain.

If you weren’t a musician what would you be?

Something to do with finances…except I’m horribly disorganized. Or maybe something with animals, except I’m too empathetic. Music is the only thing for me.

What is your favorite piece of all time to play and why?

Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet. The whole ballet. It opens my heart. Over and over.

If you could meet one composer/musician, who would it be and why?

This is the hardest question! I’m not sure you can top meeting Yo-Yo Ma, and I was privileged to meet him and play with him as well. I was forever changed after that experience!

Where is your favorite place in Oregon and why?

Eugene! The community, the trails, the vibe.

Red, white, stout, hoppy or other?

Hmmmmm….I keep forgetting which beers I like! That’s why I love ordering flights!

Favorite book/movie you’ve read/seen recently?

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens. I loooooooved it. My daughter was six when I read it and the thought of a six-year-old surviving on her own was incredible to me.

What do you think some audience members might find surprising about you?

I moved here for the rain! I first discovered Eugene about 15 years ago when I was playing at the Oregon Bach Festival. I was a busy violinist based in Los Angeles recording and performing with many different artists, from Kelly Clarkson to Paul McCartney to John Williams to Luciano Pavarotti, but I was ready to leave all that behind and come up here and be in the rain and the trees. Winning a position with the Eugene Symphony was an honor that I honestly didn’t expect to achieve. I am very lucky.

Any interesting pre-performance rituals?

I have a five-minute warm up routine that makes me look ridiculous. I usually hide in the bathroom to do it so I don’t get teased about the way I flap my arms!

Tell us a fun fact about yourself:

I was a ballerina in an Oscar Meyer Wiener commercial when I was about eight years old. I didn’t return to the set until many years later, when I was asked to play violin with Bryan Adams on The Tonight Show. I have since been on television many times as a violinist, but never again as a ballerina!