Music student not fiddling around with violin

     By Sonya Padgett
     View staff writer
      When Monique Olivas took up the violin in sixth grade, she didn't know it was one of the most difficult musical instruments to master.
      But the determined 11-year-old didn't let that stop her from trying.
      Now, six years later, the senior at the Las Vegas Academy of International Studies and Performing and Visual Arts plays at a level belying her few years of experience, even performing professionally.
      "Six years is a really short time for a violinist to be at the level she's at," said her private instructor, Shakeh Ghoukasian. "She's not the norm, I would say. I think she has a lot of ability that will come out later."
      Some of that ability is bound to reveal itself later this month, when Olivas will travel to Long Beach, Calif., to compete in the regional Dan Stover Competition. She took first place in the local contest earlier this year.
      "I didn't know at the time I started playing that it was so difficult. But I liked the challenge," said Olivas, 17.
      Olivas has already accomplished things that might take adults years to do.
      She's been a member of the Las Vegas Youth Philharmonic for six years, serving as concert master for the past three years. Last year, she signed on to play professionally with the Las Vegas Philharmonic.
      This year, in addition to taking first place in the Stover and Boligine competitions, she performed solos with the Henderson Civic Symphony and the Las Vegas Youth Orchestra.
      A southeast-area resident, Olivas also has been a member of the Nevada All-State Orchestra for four years running and was concert master this year.
      Last summer, she received a scholarship to attend the prestigious Interlochen Arts Camp in Michigan, where she studied with other musicians from around the country.
      She does all this while playing in the pit orchestra for UNLV musicals and in her own semi-professional quartet.
      "She's come a long way," Ghoukasian said. "She'd had no lessons before I instructed her. I still remember the piece she played (during her first lesson). I can't say I saw everything at once. ... She's a very unique young lady. I have taken a special interest in her because she really loves the violin and she has an incredible amount of inner power. As a teacher, you can nurture that and help them be who they are, but you can't implant it in their being or soul."
      Olivas credits Ghoukasian with steering her over the years in a direction that would improve her playing skills and enhance her natural talents. That's the main reason Olivas chose to attend the Academy.
      "She was interested in music pretty intensely," Ghoukasian said. "(The academy) gives students the opportunity to play, and it's given Monique a lot of chances that she wouldn't get in other high schools."
      At Ghoukasian's urging, Olivas flew to Ohio in April to audition for a spot in the University of Cincinnati Conservatory, one of the nation's top schools for students majoring in music performance.
      "It went really well," Olivas said. "They told me immediately that I was accepted. I was relieved the audition was over; I'd been stressed out about it for a while."
      The oldest of five children, Olivas is the only child in her family who is musically inclined. She doesn't really know what it was about the violin that caught her interest at such a young age, but after seeing and hearing a violinist in concert, Olivas knew she had to play the violin.
      "I knew playing was something I wanted to do," Olivas said. "I think it's something that I need. I want to get better; I want to go as far as I can with it."
      Her ultimate goal as a musician is to "make it into an accomplished professional orchestra."
      With her abilities and work ethic, Ghoukasian thinks it's a realistic goal.
      "She's innately musical. One of her best assets is she has a wonderful sound on her violin," Ghoukasian said. "She works hard and I think as long as she has that discipline, she'll be fine in the music world."
      Depending on her schedule, Olivas tries to practice about three to four hours a day, in addition to any rehearsal she may do. But it's all part of her overall plan.
      "I just enjoy music; it's been a part of my life for a while now," she said. "I definitely want to do this for the rest of my life."