These highly motivated and attractive teenagers are the youngest violinists in the Queensland Youth Orchestra (QYO2), and can count internationally renowned violinist, Nigel Kennedy as one of their friends.
NOW I have to say, at the outset, that I was never quite sure whether I was talking to Rawhinia or Astar. It was also unnerving that each girl had the uncanny knack of finishing perfectly the other one’s sentences. (To help you out reading this story, Astar is in the pink top.)
“We heard Nigel Kennedy play ‘The Four Seasons’ when we were very little,” said Astar with remarkable poise for a 13 year-old. “We both knew right there and then that we wanted to play the violin, so we started saving, even though we were only two and a half years old. We finally bought our first violins when we were six.”
Katusha, the twins’ mother, has always given the girls her whole-hearted support for their musical aspirations. While she loves to listen to the girls play, she is not musical herself but recalls with a deep sigh the girls’ first response to the sound of a violin.
“When the girls were just two and half and they said they wanted a violin I laughed at them not taking them seriously. But every birthday and Christmas after that they saved.”
Being interested in early childhood herself, Katusha was quick to spot academic intelligence in her twin girls. They were quick to read, and before they were four they had already worked their way through the Enid Blyton library. They also have photographic memories – an ideal asset for learning music.
When they were about eight years old British violin virtuoso, Nigel Kennedy visited Brisbane and the twins wrote to him hoping to meet him.
“We got tickets to Kennedy’s concert,” said Astar, “and he invited us to come back stage after the concert. We cheekily asked him to sign our three quarter violins, and he did!”
“He quite liked their quirky sense of humour,” said Katusha with a sense of pride. “So now, whenever he comes to Australia he will ring the girls and ask them to come to his performances, and his private parties … which are just for him, his band and his friends… very late nights, but what an honour!”
“He came out again in 2010 and we went to one of his parties,” said Astar, “and that’s when he asked us to play for him.” “… Yes but at 1.30am in the morning!” laughed Rawhinia.
Katusha recalls Kennedy was very impressed with the way the girls worked with each other, without either of them realising that’s what they were doing. He has asked the girls to keep in contact with him as they progress, and wants to meet privately with them if they ever go to Europe, in fact Kennedy said “a trip to
Europe would be an asset to the twins musical education”. For the past four years the twins have had private
lessons with Adam Piechocinski, a local Sunshine Coast based violin teacher, originally from Poland.
With so much music practice, it was the girls who suggested home schooling to their mother. They do their lessons from there home through phone and internet conferencing, and they get to see school friends on open days at Brisbane School of Distance Education.
“I got involved last year in the Home Education System, when I wrote the girls school program for Years 8 and 9.
I found that because they have a very high IQ it was hard for me to keep up with them. They are now in Year 9 at BSDE. They’re doing Year 10 science and a very advanced level of maths. In English I decided to keep Astar and Rawhinia in Year 9 so that they wouldn’t finish high school too early. Otherwise they will be too young to move on to university.”
Astar and Rawhinia have set up a fundraising account at the Maleny Credit Union for anyone who would like to contribute to their violin quest. (See end of story).
Not surprisingly, Astar and Rawhinia want a professional career in music. They are already the youngest violinists in the Queensland Youth Orchestra 2. Next step though is university. As if their timetable isn’t full enough, the twins have also started a four year business degree which they are hoping to complete by the time they are in Year 12.
“We want to go to the conservatorium,” adds Astar, “but we’re not sure which one, whether it will be Melbourne, Sydney or Brisbane. “
While professional violinists are rare, Katusha is conscious that her daughters have special talents, quite apart from their looks and their youthful passion to succeed.
When the Castle twins are not playing the violin they are sitting at the piano, playing the guitar, the clarinet, the flute, or composing violin pieces.
“I am very fortunate to be constantly surrounded by beautiful live music,” said Katusha with a satisfied smile. “I have these wonderful passionate musicians that I hear every day, so I count my blessings”.
Lend your support to help these extraodinarily talented locals girls become future world renowned performers…fundraising account to raise money for two violins for
Rawhinia and Astar Castle:
Maleny Credit Union BSB: 704-606 Acc. No: 200101553 A & R Castle
