Clara Thomas ’26 still remembers the moment she picked up a violin for the first time.
She was a first grade student beginning her first year at Pine Crest. While exploring the various activities and programs available to students during an orientation for new families, she spotted an orchestra table displaying violins and cellos.
"I ran over there and tried the violin," she recalled. "Then I asked my mom if I could start playing." More than a decade later, that spontaneous decision has shaped much of her Pine Crest experience.
An accomplished violinist, Clara has performed as a soloist, served as concertmaster of the Greater Miami Youth Symphony and performed alongside professional musicians through the New World Symphony Side-by-Side Ensemble.
"I liked classical music a lot even before I started playing violin," Clara said. Her mother, a pianist, regularly filled family car rides with classical music, creating an early appreciation for the art form that would later become a defining passion.
Throughout Lower and Middle school, she immersed herself in youth orchestra programs, beginning with the Florida Youth Orchestra before joining the Greater Miami Youth Symphony in Upper School. There, she eventually earned the role of concertmaster, one of the most demanding leadership positions in an orchestra.
The role taught her far more than musical technique. As concertmaster, Clara learned the importance of preparation, responsibility and consistency. She was expected to be ready at all times, watching the conductor, anticipating transitions and serving as a model for the musicians around her.
Clara Thomas ’26 was the 2025-26 recipient of a Founder's Council Award for Excellence in Instrumental Music
"It teaches you to be reliable," she said. "You have to be on top of everything." At the same time, performing as a soloist challenged her in different ways. While orchestra performance requires constant collaboration and communication, solo performance places a musician alone in the spotlight. For Clara, learning to navigate those moments helped build confidence that extended beyond the stage.
"When I was younger, I was always shy," she admitted. "But solo performance taught me to be more confident, not just while playing, but also talking to people and presenting in front of a room."
Some of her most influential musical experiences came through the New World Symphony Side-by-Side Ensemble, where she rehearsed and performed alongside professional musicians. The experience offered a glimpse into what life looks like at the highest levels of performance. What surprised her most was not the talent of the musicians, but the level of preparation expected before rehearsals even began.
"The first rehearsal was already at full tempo," she said. "Everyone was expected to have their part ready." Watching professionals work reinforced a lesson she would carry into other areas of her life: excellence is often the result of preparation that no one else sees. That lesson translated naturally into another passion.
Alongside her musical pursuits, Clara spent years exploring computer science and robotics at Pine Crest. Beginning in Middle School, she enrolled in computer science courses every year, eventually reaching Post-AP Artificial Intelligence as a senior. The class became one of her favorite academic experiences.
"It was a small class because you had to take every computer science offering to enroll in the class," she said. "I'd been with many of my classmates for a long time, and I learned a lot." The course deepened her interest in emerging technologies while reinforcing the analytical thinking and problem-solving skills she had been developing for years.
Looking back, Clara sees surprising similarities between the disciplines that have defined her time at Pine Crest. Both music and computer science require patience. Both require creativity. Both involve breaking down complex challenges into manageable pieces and refining them through repetition and practice.
While engineering and computer science will shape her academic path as she joins the Class of 2030 at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, music will remain a central part of her life. She already plans to audition for MIT's orchestra, continue private instruction and pursue a minor in music.
For Clara, the violin is not something she is leaving behind as she pursues a future in technology. Instead, it remains one of the ways she understands the world.