Musician, Activist
Mary Elizalde is a violinist, arts education advocate and sophomore at the University of Southern California, where she studies Psychology and Music. She began playing the violin through the Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles when she was eight years old and was awarded the title of concertmistress during her sophomore year, which she maintained until the end of senior year. Aside from playing the violin, Mary advocates for musicians’ mental health and wellness through her project Classically Imperfect, an organization dedicated to providing mental health and wellness resources including articles, interviews, and conversations to classical musicians, which have sparked change among music educators and administrators around the country. Mary hopes to continue the conversation on issues musicians don’t talk about to create a happier and healthier music community for all. Mary has had the opportunity to reach many communities with her work, including YOLA, El Sistema USA, Pasadena Libraries and The LA Phil, and has many exciting workshops with Classically Imperfect in the future.