Mike Capone has been playing viola since grade school, but it wasn't by design. All the other kids were playing violin! "So I went for viola and just fell in love with it," Mike says. "I love the tone, I love everything about it." Years later, Mike is playing solo, and helping to lead his section of the Penfield High School Orchestra. His teachers say he's at the top of his class. "He's very receptive to ideas," says Orchestra Director Shana Stewart. "So if I have suggestions for improvement or something he'll take those really easily. And he has also taught me a thing or two!" But Mike doesn't just perform, he composes. It's a gift he began honing three years ago in Music Theory class. "I think myself as a composer, to be honest," says Mike. "I would love to see myself composing in ten years. Actually I would love to get into the field of film scoring, composing for films or just other media." Mike also performs with the Rochester Philharmonic Youth Orchestra and the Penfield High School Vocal Jazz Choir. Next year, he goes to Ithaca College. He'll play viola, and plan on a future that includes writing music.
