Meet Niles North's Violinist Prodigy

Niles North High School student Aidan Perreault is just a freshman, yet the supremely talented violinist serves as the concertmaster in the school’s Symphonic Orchestra, and is the recent winner of two local musical competitions, according to a District 219 press release.

On Feb. 1, Perreault won the North Suburban Symphony’s Young Musicians Competition where he performed the first movement of the Sibelius Violin Concerto. He will solo with the orchestra during its spring concert program.

Perreault is also the overall winner in the Midwest Young Artists (MYA) 17th annual Walgreen’s National Concerto Competition, Senior Division. He played the Sibelius Violin Concerto for this competition as well, and he will solo with the MYA Symphony Orchestra in a concert that will be held at 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 24 at Pick-Staiger Concert Hall, Northwestern University in Evanston.

“My teacher, David Younan, thought [Silbelius] would be a good one for competition, Perreault said. “Also, I just like it. I’ve been listening to it for a few months now.”

Perreault picked up the violin at age 5, after attending a chamber music concert. He has played the instrument for about 10 years, which is more than half of his life.

“I was always the one that wanted to keep practicing,” he said.

In general, he plays about three hours a day, sometimes more when he is preparing for a competition. In addition to practicing, he plays in a chamber quartet, and the MYA orchestra. He also finds time to compete on Niles North’s Math Team.

Perreault said he would like to study music in college, which means more time devoted to the violin. But he wouldn’t have it any other way.

“It’s a way to express yourself through music that you can’t necessarily express in other ways,” he said.

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