HELENA — Behind the doors and through the hallways of Helena High School, the sound of Elliot Cleary and his violin echoes with Bengal pride.
Cleary, who has also run cross country at HHS, will hit the road in July to to Carnegie Hall in New York City and travel around Europe performing concerts the rest of the summer with the National Youth Orchestra.
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“In the first place, this organization and auditioning for it was already kind of a long shot, and I did not expect to get in at all, but I got the email that said you’re in and it was unreal,” Cleary shared.
You may be wondering how Cleary got to this point. Well, it all started when he was just 5 years old.
“I was just kind of immersed from a really young age, so it just set me up over the years to really love the art,” Cleary said.
That passion has only grown over the years as his dad is his orchestra instructor at Helena High, and the bond is not just with his dad but also with the instrument that makes it all possible.
Cleary said, “All the tiny details kind of feel like home, and you know if you are playing a different instrument, it is definitely a different feeling, and there is not that same connection.”
After a rigorous audition process with over 1,500 applicants, Cleary was selected as one of 80 to the National Youth Orchestra, and is just the fourth Montanan to be a part of it.
“There is a lot of 'don’t mess up, don’t mess up,' because I do want to put the best out that I can,” Cleary noted.
Although this has been a longtime goal for Cleary, it’s just the beginning of his musical journey.
“Hopefully, just studying this instrument and other instruments in college and making a career in it,” Cleary said.
