Fontbonne's Caitlin Walsh Expands Her Passion For Music

Editor's note: The following is a press release.

Fontbonne Academy’s Caitlin Walsh, a junior from Roslindale, has been invited to attend Berklee College of Music’s 5 Week, a summer program designed to help develop young musicians. During the session she will study music theory, musicianship, and performance, among other topics, to help her better her musical skills. The program also offers opportunities to take part in musical jams, and other extracurricular music.

Caitlin took up the saxophone in sixth grade, but her talents really blossomed in seventh grade, when she attended Boston Latin Academy (BLA). As part of BLA’s Jazz Ensemble, Caitlin came to love playing the sax, and began to take lessons from a Berklee College of Music alumnus.  She still takes lessons in the afternoons, and plays in gigs every time she gets a chance. She has played with her father, a guitarist, several times at the Birch Street Bistro, where he plays in a jazz ensemble. 

After her aunt, a Fontbonne aluma, suggested she take a look at Fontbonne, Caitlin did. She transferred to Fontbonne Academy in tenth grade and has taken advantage of every musical opportunity the school has to offer. This year, her junior year, she has thrown herself into music, playing in Fontbonne Academy’s popular Instrumental Ensemble, and meeting with the teacher, Douglas Anderson, during her free periods to further explore in the areas of music theory and all aspects of music.

“My mission this year was to do everything I could to figure out my passion, and engage in it fully before figuring out where I want to go to college,” said Caitlin. 

“She is very, very talented,” commented Anderson, the teacher who works with the ensemble, and who accompanied her on a Fontbonne Coffee House performance last year. Caitlin’s enthusiasm to bring her gift of playing the saxophone to the community is appreciated. “She shines so brightly as a budding saxophone star,” added Anderson.

Caitlin is also going to be working as an intern at the Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) during the upcoming April school vacation where she will attend private rehearsals, learn about stage lighting and how to connect with an audience.  Last summer as a Counselor-In-Training (CIT) in Tanglewood’s DART (Days in the Arts) program she worked with children for two weeks, helping them with saxophone mechanics and assisting a music teacher.  The experience led her to the internship.

In a landscape where there are not many female tenor sax players, Caitlin certainly stands out.  She hopes to pursue a musical career and is excited about the many possibilities that lie ahead. “It is very exciting to be asked to attend the summer program at Berklee, especially because the students chosen for the summer program are eligible for four-year scholarships to Berklee,” beamed Caitlin. 

When asked about her experience at Fontbonne, Caitlin commented, “At Fontbonne you can deeply explore different aspects of yourself and your passion, because the whole community is so supportive.”