How old were you when you started composing?
12 years old

What do you love most about composing music?
My favorite part about composing music is the fact that I can create something that has never been created before, something completely new and original. I get to experience the feeling of knowing that I've made something that no one else has before.

Tell us a little about your winning YWCC composition
I actually didn't start off with the idea of rain like the title might have suggested. I typically title my pieces after I'm done or almost done with them. But I remember I wanted to write something for quartet, and something calming but also gloomy as well, so I used that as inspiration and started to compose a melody, then slowly added onto that.

What was your process/approach to composing your piece for YWCC?
I started out with a melody and I slowly added more onto it, until it eventually became a finished piece for quartet. There was a lot of editing and revising involved, as I didn't exactly love the first draft, and some things may have sounded off.

What is your advice to someone who is interested in composing a piece but does not know where to start?
Go to a keyboard and mess around or hum something until you have something you like and can work with, then add around it!

Tell us a fun fact about yourself!
I play violin!