Erica Klafehn - Penfield H.S.
By: Maureen McGuire
Updated: April 24, 2012
Erica Klafehn is an accomplished classical musician, but she's happiest when she's fiddling! "I'm just into everything,"she says. "I really enjoy orchestral playing on the viola, because I've been playing in the orchestra for four years. But violin, I really like fiddling. I'm not going to lie. It's one of the happiest things I do."
This Penfield High School senior plays the viola and the violin. But she also loves to sing, and is a staple in the school's musical theater program. This year, Erica achieved a rare feat: she was selected to perform in not one, but four different all state ensembles. Erica chose the vocal jazz ensemble. "That's really extraordinary," says Penfield High School music teacher Diane Abrahamian. "I've been teaching a really long time and I've never had another student who accomplished that feat!"
Erica plays viola in the Rochester Philharmonic Youth Orchestra. She's a member of Penfield High's Ukulele Club. She travels with the Kanack School of Music. And she composes fiddle tunes with her friends. Next year, she's off to college to pursue studies in forensic anthropology.
