Stepping off the school bus, Adam Ye came face-to-face with an imposing wall of tan bricks. As Ye briskly walked along, icy winds howled through the frigid air. Then, he arrived at the door. Walking inside, he was met with a shower of golden light. A wave of enchanting music echoed through the cavernous golden hall, captivating Ye into all of its musical glory. 

This was a field trip to Powell Hall, the home of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, for Ye’s fifth grade orchestra class. Ye first started the violin when he was living in China in fourth grade. He didn’t practice at first, but after moving to the U.S. in fifth grade, he began to be more interested in violin. After six years of consistent practicing and hard work, Ye has become the musician that he is today.

“When I came here in fifth grade, [the orchestra teachers] wanted you to pick an instrument for orchestra class,” Ye said. “My mom was like, ‘[If] you didn’t really feel interested in the violin, we should pick something else.’ But I already had some basics, so I was like, ‘It will make my life a little bit easier [if I continue with the violin].’ ”

Continuing the violin allowed Ye to join Ladue’s orchestra classes and be exposed to St. Louis’ music community, deepening Ye’s interest in the violin. 

“St. Louis is also a city [with] a lot of musical aspects, which I think is great,” Ye said. “In orchestra, I realized I liked playing together [with others]. We went to visit the symphony. That was definitely a big integration. [So], I slowly got more interested.”

While moving to the U.S. brought Ye to a completely new environment, music was always something that he could connect to other people through. His musical style is a way for Ye to express himself as he adjusts to a different, foreign country.

“I had a pretty loud, extroverted personality, when I was back in China,” Ye said. “When I moved here, I became an introvert. I’m still an introvert, but I’m becoming a lot more confident. But my style has always been really confident. I always have a full sound, I use a lot of bow, I have a wide vibrato, and I wouldn’t say [my style] has changed that much. I’m always a really expressive person.”

Ye is also dedicated to giving back to the community. He is currently the “unofficial leader” of Strolling Strings, an orchestral club inspired by Roma violinists who entertained and performed throughout Europe.

“He is involved in Strolling [Strings] and he is our center,” orchestra teacher Twinda Murry said. “That’s the musical leader but also the organization leader. We don’t have an official president. He does a lot to encourage and motivate the younger students. He’s given a lot of his time to work directly with younger students.”

Ye also performs regularly, such as for the Tri-M Music Honor Society, a group he founded named the “Three Two Ones” and also with other classmates. One of these classmates is his close friend, junior Bohan Pan.

“He’s involved with everything music-related,” Pan said. “You can tell he truly loves playing the violin. He’s always happy to volunteer for Morning Music. He always takes every opportunity to participate. What’s nice about him is when we have a performance, he’ll take the time to run through every measure that you need to play, as many times as you need to to feel comfortable.”

Being in a musical environment makes Ye feel much more relaxed. Music feels much more natural and enjoyable to him when surrounded by fellow musicians, even when rehearsals took up a majority of the day.

“People call [music] a universal language,” Ye said. “Even though songs might be in different languages, it still gives off a meaning. It definitely is a liaison between people around the world.”

Music doesn’t have a fixed form. It’s a creative form of art, and to Ye, that’s one of its most interesting aspects.

“That’s one of the cool things about it, being able to express yourself [in] tons of different ways,“ Ye said. “Chainsaw Man is rock style, something that’s different to me I want to try. I’ve tried a little bit of jazz before, I’ve done jazz camp but obviously classical, or movie, or video game music. There’s all sorts of different things that I can play around with and find myself.”

Ye also constantly strives to improve himself. This can be in a variety of aspects, including dynamics, rhythm, tone, intonation, note accuracy and personal expression.

“[My style], it’s definitely been refined. I’m improving my skills and improving my expression,” Ye said. “Since I haven’t been playing violin for that long, only about six years, it’s pretty much the same, but definitely more refined than before. It’s more complex. It has more nuance in it, which I am able to do now with my skills. Moving when you play, that’s something I’ve always done a lot of, but similar to the way that my playing has evolved and refined. My movements [are] a little bit more deliberate and more stylistic, typically. That also connects to my playing style. I’m really expressive.”

Ye’s performances are always technically precise, due to an unparalleled focus to details when practicing. There is a unanimous consensus from Ye’s friends that he is incredibly diligent.

“He’s extremely talented, and even more important than that he’s extremely focused and an incredibly hard worker,” Murry said. “He sets goals for himself. And he works until he meets those goals.”

The high standards that Ye puts on himself then translates to equally high standards for his practice schedule, but he has recently had a hard time balancing school and music.

“[My practice schedule], It’s changing a lot recently,” Ye said. “This year, my goal was two hours every weekday and three hours every weekend. I’ve not been able to achieve anywhere close to that, because I didn’t realize I’ve had a lot of work. I’m definitely trying to practice more, [but] it’s not enough and nowhere near close to enough.”

Through his countless hours of practicing and constantly striving to improve, Ye has finally felt at home through playing music. The violin has given Ye something far more important than his ability to play the violin: lasting friends, the music community and giving back to the community, and also a lifelong passion and skill that allows him to connect with people from all around the world.

“[When I play the violin], I feel like I’m more myself. I feel a sense of belonging with the instrument. I’m playing and I [feel] like, ‘I’m meant to do this. This is me.’ ”

Caption: Junior Adam Ye performs the violin in the Performing Arts Center. He has participated in many orchestras, including the St. Louis Symphony Youth Orchestra, Community Music School’s Preparatory Program, and the Missouri All-State Orchestra. Through his numerous performances, Ye has found an outlet for self expression through the violin. “The instrument shouldn’t be a prison,” Ye said. “It should be a key, a tool for you to explore yourself.”