Mira Olson

Instrument

Violin

When did you start playing your instrument?

I’m a Suzuki kid; I started playing when I was 4.

What do you do when you’re not playing in the LSO?

I’m an engineering professor at Drexel.  I also have 3 kids, a husband, and a dog, and we like to go camping, hiking, biking, and generally doing things outside.  I log a lot of hours cheering on the sidelines of soccer fields and basketball courts.

When, or how, did you come to join the orchestra?

I moved to the area 9 years ago and was thrilled to find this orchestra.  I immediately joined and have been playing ever since.

Do you come from a musical family?

I’m building a musical family!  One of my daughters plays violin and the other plays cello.  We’re still waiting to see what my son picks, but I’m hoping for viola to round out our quartet!  Aside from that, my brother and I both play violin, and there were smatterings of pianists, singers, and violinists before us.  No one played professionally.

Does the instrument you play on have a story?

I got my violin when I was 15 or 16, from a Brazilian violin maker.

Who is your favorite superhero?

Are Jedi superheros?