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Albany High music students had the incredible opportunity to meet a rising orchestral star, eighteen-year-old violinist Amaryn Olmeda (pictured center), on Friday when she performed a special concert for our Falcon musicians in the Albany High auditorium!

Olmeda will be making her Capital Region debut on opening night of Albany Symphony's 2026-27 season at the Palace Theatre on Saturday. She is set to perform Erich Wolfgang Korngold’s “Violin Concerto” in D Major.

"It was mind-blowing," shared junior Ruth San after watching Olmeda perform.

"I've seen concertos and other pieces online. I've never seen one in person. This was a first experience for me."

Despite her young age, Olmeda is no stranger to the stage. She has performed with the Philadelphia Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, Houston Symphony, Seattle Symphony, Buffalo Philharmonic, Charlotte Symphony and Omaha Symphony. In addition to performing professionally, she is currently pursuing a degree in violin performance at New England Conservatory in Boston.

As she continues to cultivate her career as a musician, Olmeda is committed to connecting with budding musicians through performances at schools, while encouraging individuals and organizations in her professional circles to do likewise.

"If you do have the resources and the money, you should be advocating for younger audiences, because in the future, those are the people that are going to come to concerts," Olmeda shared. 

After her riveting performance, our Falcon musicians had the chance to participate in a question-and-answer session with this esteemed violinist. Olmeda responded candidly to questions on a variety of topics, ranging from how many hours she practices a day to how she stays calm and composed when she is up on stage.

Junior Melanie Garcia was encouraged and inspired by the performance. 

"Just seeing her while she played — her emotions throughout the piece, when she got louder and softer, how her expressions changed," shared Garcia. "I just think it's really great how she kept playing after high school."

After Olmeda's performance and presentation, Albany High string musicians who make up our Falcon Consort — Melanie Garcia, Ruth San, Nevaeh Harvey and Alex Sime — had the opportunity to sit down and workshop a piece they are working on in class, Warrior Legacy by Soon Hee Newbold, with Olmeda.

Moments like these showcase our school district's commitment to providing dynamic and robust music education.

"Having Albany Symphony in our backyard and being able to utilize their vast array of musicians that they bring in for their performances — it really helps us if we can get them into our buildings," shared City School District of Albany Fine Arts Supervisor Kate Wright.

This weekend, there are two wonderful opportunities to see Olmeda perform. Students can reserve $5 tickets to Albany Symphony's opening night concert  on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. with the code OPENINGNIGHT. Earlier that afternoon, Olmeda will be performing at the Opalka Gallery at Russell Sage College from 1-2:30 p.m. This program is free, and attendees are asked to .

We extend our heartfelt gratitude to Amaryn Olmeda and the Albany Symphony for helping students in the City School District of Albany experience the joy of orchestral music! Today's experience is one our student-musicians will carry in their hearts for years to come.