How Music Shaped My Life: Charlotte Perkins, Musician and UVMC Alumni

Charlotte Perkins grew up with Upper Valley Music Center. As a student from 2006-2017, she followed UVMC from its storefront location across from Three Tomatoes to its Hanover Road building to its new home on Colburn Park in downtown Lebanon.

“Upper Valley Music Center was the place where I could drop a shoulder rest in the middle of a recital and feel the audience supporting me anyway; where I could learn the rules of the music world — get to the gig early, bring a pencil, bring a score to the masterclass, attend the visiting artist’s concert — without ever feeling chastised; where I could return after years living 3,000 miles away and catch up with the families I grew up with,” Perkins said.

Her lessons didn’t just give her violin technique or good habits for the industry. They left her with a firm belief that music is about people, together. 

“That value is my north star when I decide whether to be involved in a musical project. Whom does it serve? Who gets to be involved? How will the experience strengthen people’s feeling of connection?” Perkins said. “In many ways, UVMC was an ideal community, and I find myself trying to re-create it wherever I work.”

Perkins studied first with Alissa Vassileva, then with Alicia Casey.

“I had hundreds of lessons with my teacher. Every time I played for her, she asked, ‘What went well?’ and then ‘What needs to be worked on?’ I still ask myself these questions constantly, in music and in life, and they’ve always pushed me in the right direction,” Perkins said.

Music is still a large part of Perkins’ life; in fact, she said, “It’s my job!” She is finishing up her master’s degree in violin performance at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. She is a member of professional string quartet, Haver Quartet, and an ambassador for the Benedetti Foundation, an organization committed to making high-quality music education more accessible for all young people. 

“I use the technique, theory, and practices I learned at UVMC every day of my life, but I use the habits of mind as well,” Perkins said. “Commitment, care, and joy were modelled for me over the course of my 10 years studying at UVMC, and I will always be grateful for my experiences.”

Perkins emphasized that UVMC is a place for everyone, at all stages of their musical journey. 

“What continues to impress me about UVMC is the way the mission is always growing and evolving in response to the community and the community’s interests and needs,” she said. “I have so much admiration for the leadership team for turning UVMC into the dynamic, truly local space it’s turned out to be — and I’m looking forward to watching its continued evolution!”