Kremena Mavrodieva ‘16 achieved one of her dreams at age eighteen. Last February, as a product of years of dedication, passion, and achievement, she found herself performing at Carnegie Hall, among some of the best musicians of her age. Kremena began playing clarinet in sixth grade, barely five foot tall and having no idea what she was getting herself into. She went from barely squeaking out a note to blowing out strings of beautiful, complicated melodies. She did not simply pick up her instrument and posses the natural talent to be amazing; her skill came from the drive to be the best, the drive to make something of herself as a player.

Kremena began her high school career as a musician in the third band of the Band program, starting out no differently than the typical band student. Within the next two years, however, she moved up to the honors band and gained the coveted title of All-Stater, meaning she was ranked among the best in the state. Becoming an All-Stater was already a huge achievement; she was one of two members of the band in 2015 to obtain this title. She is looked up to by so many members of the band, so much to the point that one day when a shy freshman bumped into her in the band hall he remarked, “I just bumped into THE All- Stater!”

As a result of becoming an All-Stater in May of 2015, she received an invitation to audition to play at Carnegie Hall. While it was a huge honor to be invited, that did not necessarily guarantee she would be chosen. In order to be chosen, she would have to compete with All-Staters from around the country.

Kremena was on a band trip to Atlanta when she found out about her acceptance.  

“They actually sent out the emails a day late, so when I didn’t receive an email on the day they were supposed to come out, I took that as a sign I didn’t get in,” Kremena said. “When I got the acceptance email, on Halloween actually, I couldn’t have been more surprised. I just stared at it in shock.”

Excited and scared, Kremena left for New York on Feb. 3, accompanied by her proud parents. While she would have to miss three days of school, it was worth the hours of make up work.

“I had always dreamed of going to New York,” Kremena said. “Getting to play at Carnegie Hall just made the whole experience so much better.”

Soon after her arrival, Kremena discovered that not only had she been accepted; she received the title of first chair clarinet player.

“I was so surprised,” Kremena said.  “I’d never competed on a national level before, and didn’t think of myself as one of the best in the nation.”

Once she arrived, she was thrown into a busy schedule jam packed with rehearsals. Every morning of the trip, she would wake up and rush off to a four hour rehearsal. After a short lunch break at noon, she would go back for another four hours of practicing. The evenings were left free for her to explore the city.

“Most of the time, I was in rehearsal,” Kremena said. “The only thing I would’ve liked to change about the trip would be the amount of time we got for sightseeing.”

Even with her busy schedule, Kremena fit in a broadway performance of Wicked, a party on a yacht thrown especially for the big group of talented musicians, and a long wait for a Shake Shack burger. Having her parents tag along just made the trip more memorable and special.  

“It was really great to not only get to explore New York with people my age, but also with my family,” Kremena said.

On the evening of Feb. 7, Kremena found herself walking into Carnegie Hall, about to perform as the first chair clarinetist in an orchestra filled with All-Staters from around the country.

“I had a solo in one of the pieces, so I was really scared of messing up.” Kremena said. “Right before the performance, I got really nervous, but once we walked on stage it calmed me down. It turned out to be the best performance I’ve ever had.”

Kremena’s passion for music and skill on the clarinet provided her the opportunity to have a once in a lifetime experience. While she does not plan to major in music in college, she hopes to still perform in a concert band in order to maintain her skill.

“I love playing clarinet.” Kremena said. “ Even though it isn’t exactly what  I want to do with my life, I plan on keeping it as a hobby for sure.”