For young violinist Anabella Massaro, performing the theme from Schindler’s List is about much more than playing the right notes.
“Although it is not technically very difficult, you really have to be present emotionally and feel and connect to the music deeply,” Massaro said.
On October 3 at 3 p.m., Massaro will have the opportunity to bring that connection to the stage as a featured student soloist with the professional Firebird Pops Orchestra during South Shore Conservatory’s Hollywood in Hingham concert at the Carr Amphitheater in Hingham.
To prepare for the performance, Massaro has gone beyond the practice room. She interviewed her friend’s grandmother, whose Jewish family was deeply affected by the Holocaust and had a relative on Schindler’s List. She has also read books about World War II and watched films to deepen her understanding of the period behind the music.
The experience is the latest step in a musical journey that began when Massaro was eight years old.
“There was a violinist at our church and I thought it was such a beautiful instrument,” she recalled. “I was so inspired that I started playing soon after.”
Massaro joined South Shore Conservatory in 2020 through its Harmony Orchestra and has since immersed herself in the Conservatory’s musical community. She credits several teachers and mentors with shaping her development, including Ming Hang Tam, Angelica Vendetti and Amanda Roberts.
She said Roberts, in particular, helped develop her musicality and confidence while helping her recognize that music is something she wants to pursue professionally.
Massaro also performs with the South Shore Conservatory Youth Orchestra, where she values both the friendships and the opportunity to perform throughout the year.
“My favorite thing about playing in the SSC Youth Orchestra is that I can have fun playing music with my friends and get to perform multiple times a year,” she said.
This past summer, Massaro participated in South Shore Conservatory’s Duxbury Music Festival, an experience she described as different from a typical summer music camp because it gives students opportunities to perform as soloists, in chamber ensembles and alongside professional musicians.
One moment particularly stood out: performing alongside jazz musicians as the only string player.
“That was really unique,” she said.
Now Massaro is preparing for another first: stepping in front of a professional pops orchestra as a featured soloist.
“When my mom told me Dr. Bass invited me to be the violin soloist for Schindler’s List at the Hollywood concert, I was incredibly excited,” Massaro said. “I learned this piece several years ago and loved it, so I was even more excited knowing I had the opportunity to play at a concert with a live orchestra.”
The performance will be part of Hollywood in Hingham, South Shore Conservatory’s outdoor celebration of music from the movies, featuring Firebird Pops Orchestra and student soloists. For Massaro, sharing the stage with other young musicians is part of what makes the concert especially meaningful.
“I’m really excited for the audience to hear all the different student performances, because I think it’s inspiring to watch talented young musicians,” she said.
The opportunity also points toward Massaro’s ambitions beyond this performance. She hopes to attend a music conservatory, perform more frequently during her final two years of high school and win South Shore Conservatory’s Concerto Competition.
Her advice to other young musicians is straightforward: productive practice matters more than simply counting hours.
“You don’t necessarily need to practice a million hours,” Massaro said. “But you do need to be locked in and focused when you are in your practice room. A short productive practice is more effective than a longer and less focused session.”
For Massaro, that focused work will culminate on October 3 when she takes the stage with Firebird Pops to perform one of film music’s most poignant violin solos — a piece she has worked to understand not only as a musician, but through the history and human experience behind it.