2020 Audrey Lundeen Award

CONGRATULATIONS to Duluth East H.S. Senior, MIA KRAKER, the 2020 recipient of the Audrey Lundeen Scholarship.

Mia is an accomplished violinist and in her words: “I have always enjoyed playing violin and long considered pursuing music as a career, but I didn’t realize quite how important it was to me until I injured my arm this past year. Since March, I have battled pain in my arm and struggled to find a solution.

Not being able to play violin showed me that music is not just my passion, but something that connects back to all aspects of my life and identity. Through music, I can harness the grit and perseverance I’ve developed through my experiences camping, canoeing, and backpacking outdoors with my family. I can utilize my love of history to help me discover the context of a piece and the historical performance practices of the time, improving my interpretation of the music. Music enables me to take people on incredible journeys and help them to make sense of their lives.

Music is also the foundation of my community, and I have come to believe that it is critical to a thriving society. My experiences performing in the community-- at church, nursing homes and other medical centers, elementary schools, and small towns on the Iron Range-- have taught me that music is not merely a means of expression, but a way to add meaning and vibrancy to people’s lives and foster connections in our world. I have been extremely fortunate to have been nurtured and supported by so many area musicians, and I hope that by pursuing music professionally, I can give back to the music community some of what it has already been given me.”