Video by Cooper Slough
By JAMES BELL
Hays Post
A flourish in music is an embellishment, something a little extra that brings life to a piece of music. The same might be said about Allison Lint, a nationally recognized violist, who recently set up a studio in Hays.
“I had been here a few times for various visits, and there was something about this town that really stuck with me,” Lint said. “I think the people are wonderful, friendly, welcoming and inviting, and they’re excited to have me here, which says a lot.”
Part of the appeal of Hays for Lint, is the size of the town.
”Everyone calls it a small town, but I find it to be very comfortable. It’s a good size. It has everything we need,” she said.
A thriving art community was also a draw to the area.
“As far as the arts are concerned the arts community here is so wonderful, it is incredibly culturally oriented,” she said.
“The combination of music, theater and dance that is in this town – that I have seen only in the few weeks of being here – has been astounding. That’s something that I want to be a part of, and that’s something I’ve found people are willing to let me be a part of.”
Prior to her arrival in Hays, Lint has made music an almost lifelong pursuit and was especially drawn to the violin.
“I’ve essentially been a musician my whole life,” she said. “I started playing violin when I was 7, I picked up piano at 8 and a little bit later also started on viola and cello, so I consider myself pretty proficient at those four instruments and that’s also what I teach.”
Lint graduated from the prestigious Oberlin Conservatory with a bachelor’s degree and continued her education at the University of Akron earning a master’s degree in music. But even before school, Lint was surrounded by music through a family of musicians.
“I’ve had a lot of music in my family,” she said. “My father is a guitarist and his mother was a church organist, so we have a lot of music generations back.”
With the musical family and the fondness for string instruments, the scene was set for a young Lint to become enamored with the violin. After seeing a violin performance, Lint’s direction in life was forever changed.
“When I was about 8 or 9 years old, my dad took me to see a woman to see a women named Leila Josefowicz, who to this day remains my favorite virtuoso performer,” Lint said “She is wonderful. I try to emulate her in my playing.
“She’s the one who made me realize that’s what I want to do. I saw her on stage, and I loved everything about her.”
After college, Lint focused on freelance performing, but a unique opportunity changed the young musician’s path.
She auditioned for the Akron Symphony and won a seat in the second violin section. This year marks her third with the group.
“Through the symphony came a lot of other avenues,” Lint said, but the symphony “has been the bedrock of my performance over the last few years.”
On top of performing and teaching, Lint is an advocate for a little-known disease, one that she has worked to overcome herself.
“When I’m not performing or teaching, the other thing I do is run a nonprofit called Violin for Vasculitis, through that I’m traveling to every state in the country, to raise awareness of vasculitis, which is a rare autoimmune disease,” she said. “That as also really boosted my performance career, traveling nationwide to bring music to lots of different places and lots of different audiences.”
Not only did her advocacy boost her performance opportunities, she garnered national attention when CNN made her the subject of a piece in 2014. That piece can be viewed by clicking here.
ON MAKING IT IN HAYS
“I know that Hays already has a lot to offer, in the area of music and arts, that’s why I’m here. That’s why I chose this place out of anywhere in the country I could have gone. If I can come in and establish myself and become a part of what’s already happening, that would be wonderful,” Lint said. “There’s something about the community that’s more important to me.”
While a successful studio is important, she said, “it’s more important that I take root here, then reach out and make connections with parts of the community — the arts, dance, theater and certainly the college.”
“That’s another really neat thing I found about Hays, is that everybody I’ve talked to about Hays, loves it and is excited to be here. That creates this kind of energy in the town,” she said. “Everybody likes where they are. Everybody likes being a part of it. Everybody likes what they do and they want to do more. They want to continue to build what’s already happening in Hays. That’s what I wanted to be a part of.”
Lint offers flexible lessons Monday through Wednesday in her studio in the Hadley Center, 205 E. Seventh, Ste. 124. For more information, visit allisonlint.com or on Facebook at allisonlintmusic.