As the only freshman in Sycamore Electric Ensemble (SEE1) and one of two violas, Luis Del Moral Lopez, 9, is not intimidated. “It’s all very relaxed. We often joke around,” said Lopez.

“I have always looked up to Konnor Montchai, ’13, and Aaron Pang, 12, and they only had one viola.

“I really wanted to try out, and I thought: if I don’t make it this year, I have the next three years,” Lopez said as his reason for joining.

Lopez is not like the rest of the ensemble, however. He plays on his acoustic viola rather than an electric instrument because the smallest Viper (an electric viola) is too big.

He attaches an amp strip to his instrument, which connects to an amplifier so that his viola can be heard. “I get to rock out on a classical viola!” Lopez said.

He hopes to become better through this experience. “There’s a lot of rhythm to it, so learning to memorize it and sight-reading is a large part of the group. I think I will become a lot better this year.”