Hello! I'm Loba Salami, a student studying music composition and biological sciences at Lehigh University. This semester I have the incredible privilege to go abroad and study in the city that many composers, musicians, and conductors have made their debuts in: Vienna, in the country of Austria!
I'm started playing violin in 8th grade (about 8 years ago!), which is late since many musicians start when they're around 4 or 5. While I love the violin and the many other instruments I used to play or still play (piano, clarinet, cello, double bass, electric bass, french horn, trumpet), music composition is my true love.
I started composing at the end of 8th grade, and quickly fell in love with it. I wrote music for my high school orchestra twice in 11th grade and 12th grade, which helped to get me into Lehigh University. There, I joined the Lehigh University Philharmonic, where I would write "The Knights of Envy" in my junior year as the opening music for Lehigh's Concerto Marathon. I then wrote a large orchestral work for the United States' 250th birthday, which got funding from the National Endowment for the Arts. I also write music for Lehigh's Neurosalon (an organization dedicated to connecting art and neuroscience), Klaman & Co. (a non-profit dedicated to raising awareness on African culture), and the East County Symphony. I'm currently writing my first symphony titled "The Mysterious Murder of Mary-Anne Marie"--spooky, I know! I am also currenty writing my first ballet.
If anyone wants to dive deep into the beautiful world of classical music, Vienna is the city to go to to make it happen. Here, Beethoven, Mozart, Haydn, Mahler, Johann Strauss, and several other legendary composers learned how to write music. Think of me as Plankton from Spongebob. I'm here to collect the "Krabby Patty Secret Formula" that makes their music so great.
Another big goal of mine is to explore nearby countries. I plan on visiting France, Italy, Germany, Turkey, Hungary, and more. I recommend to everyone across the world to visit far away places, because they will blow your mind! While writing this, I've only been in Europe for two whole days, and I'm already blown away by the cultural differences. I hope to inspire everyone reading this to be as social as possible, be as curious as possible, and be as excited as possible for what could only be known as an experience of a lifetime.
Want to know more about how you can study or intern abroad when you are a college student? The Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program is a program of the U.S. Department of State with funding provided by the U.S. Government and supported in its implementation by the Institute of International Education (IIE). Learn more about the scholarship by visiting www.gilmanscholarship.org.
