Decade in Review

A post by Ann Yu

I can’t believe it’s already the end of the year, and it’s even harder to grasp that this marks the beginning of a new decade! Where did the last ten years go?! Life has certainly taken quite a few unexpected twists and turns, but I am grateful for the journey that has led to the present moment. 

As I write this post, I am wearing a shirt that I snagged my freshman year of high school. It was in a box of leftover shirts from the previous year’s homecoming that was stored in an office of the school chapel, in which the staff eagerly disposed of the shirts to the new freshmen who swooped down on any free paraphernalia like hungry vultures (abundance did not exist at thirteen years old). Plus, the shirt was “vintage,” marking an era of the legendary class that graduated, which included the likes of Caila Quinn from The Bachelor. Faded and crackled white lettering of “Homecoming 2009” runs along the left sleeve against a discolored forest green. This well-loved shirt is ten years old. 

Ten years ago I was still in eighth grade. I thought I was going to stay in the public school system. Nine years ago I attended the Credo Chamber Music Festival for the first time, fell in love with chamber music, and entered high school at Western Reserve Academy. Eight years ago my mother received a cancer diagnosis and passed away within a year. Seven years ago I was navigating a new relationship with my family and finally decided to pursue music as a career. Six years ago I felt like I was finally finding myself and how I fit in at school. Five years ago I performed in Carnegie Hall for the first time. I wanted so desperately to leave Ohio but I entered the Cleveland Institute of Music to study with William Preucil. Four years ago I met Rebecca at Credo, this time returning as a counselor. I was also really struggling with my own self-confidence as a musician but was accepted into the New York String Orchestra Seminar, which inspired me to push on. Three years ago I rented my first apartment, dated someone for the first time, and had one of the most transformative musical experiences ever working with Franklin Cohen. Two years ago I became a member of City Church and started studying with the inimitable Jaime Laredo. Last year I worked with Jan Sloman and Jaime Laredo, got to play with the one and only Janine Jansen and received my bachelors in violin performance. And this year I received a masters degree in violin performance, created and performed a pretty cool musical storytelling project, spent the summer basking in chamber music, and currently work in the labor of love that is Renovare. 

So much has happened in ten years! If someone told me at thirteen years old that I would become a musician, I would have balked at them and told them “You’re crazy. That is the last thing I want to do as a career.” If someone told me at fifteen years old that my mother would lose her battle to cancer, but I would have a restored relationship with my father, I wouldn’t have believed them. If someone told me at seventeen that I would incorporate my faith into my work, I would have looked at them blankly and ask, “What does that mean?” If someone told me two years ago I would be out of school figuring out life as a freelancer in Cleveland, I would have replied, “Heck no, I’m doing more school, and outside of Ohio!” I never would have imagined myself currently where I am, doing what I am doing. And it's clear that God orchestrated every step of the way, providing in more ways I could ever imagine, and has proven better than what I could ever hope to dream. 

Needless to say, I am profoundly grateful for all the people, places, and opportunities that have paved my way to the present moment. I am very blessed to have had an upbringing full of privilege, opportunity, and support. I am grateful for God’s gracious and abundant provision in every step of the way. And I can’t wait to see where God will lead me in the decades to come!