A passion for music has always run in Lily Velapoldi’s family, but she decided to take her love in a new direction. Growing up with a piano in the house and a talented pianist father, she often found herself banging on the piano keys or playing the right-hand notes to “Linus and Lucy” with her dad. Due to her obsession with music, her parents enrolled her in piano lessons. However, as she grew up, Lily found herself more interested in voice and elementary music theory, which she practiced by teaching her stuffed animals different rhythms and solfege. In fifth grade, she joined the choir at her elementary school and never looked back. During her participation in ensembles throughout middle and high school, Lily became fascinated by the teaching techniques her choir directors and voice teachers employed in choral and solo settings, and also developed a love for solo performance. She worked hard to obtain opportunities to sing classical solos on stage and also direct small, extracurricular choir groups at school. Small moments like these helped Lily share her passion for music with the world, ultimately encouraging her to pursue music in college. Although unsure whether to pursue a career in performance or teaching after graduation, Lily is majoring in voice performance and another of her favorite subjects, mathematics. She takes her time through college, finding opportunities to involve herself in both music education and performance by tutoring kids and taking music education classes alongside her performance classes. She anticipates the day when she finally decides to teach or perform (or both)!