Calgary musical prodigy puts cello skills on display with High River showcase

Luka Coetzee has been producing musical notes for as long as she can remember.

“I’ve been playing the cello for 12 years,” Coetzee said in a recent interview at her home.

It only takes simple math to figure out that the 13-year-old started her musical career at an age when most kids are just learning how to walk.

“My two older sisters started playing before and their teacher had a viola with an end pin and she gave it to me for me to play with,” Coetzee explained.

“I really loved it, so I continued.”

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Now, more than a decade later, Coetzee is a Calgary musical prodigy. She’s won numerous awards and is currently enrolled in Mount Royal University’s honours class for young artists, which is described as “suitable for extraordinary young talents accelerating at a pace beyond their age.”

“Technically she’s probably the level of some university students,” Johanne Perron, one of Coetzee’s personal teachers, said recently.

“I think that she will have a great place in the music world in the future.”

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Coetzee said she practices six times a week and between two to four hours a day. She admitted there are times when she gets frustrated while honing her craft, but believes those are the moments that shape how she plays.

“Challenge is a privilege for me, because it makes you better and it’s where you learn,” she said.

“That’s what keeps me going.”

On Saturday, Coetzee will be able to show off her hard work during a performance with the High River Gift of Music Society. The group is hosting its final concert of the season, which features Coetzee, as well as another young musician from Edmonton.

Coetzee said she tries to get herself “into a zone” where she’s focused and creative during performances. This Saturday’s concert will take place at the High River United Church, starting at 7:30 p.m.