Emely Phelps

"I think I have always loved the piano," said Phelps, who will perform a solo concert tonight at the Mansion at Strathmore Hall in North Bethesda.

Phelps discovered her passion for music when she began taking piano lessons at age 5.

"My mom said I was a really early reader so she knew I was going to be really bored in kindergarten," Phelps said.

At 9 years old, Phelps became much more serious about her music and began traveling to Northern Virginia two or three times a week for lessons with teacher Margorie Lee. In addition to lessons, Phelps participated in group classes, small competitions and gave recitals every month.

"I think I rose to the challenge," Phelps said. "It was a lot."

In order to make time for traveling and long practices, Phelps began homeschooling and continued throughout high school.

Prior to college, Phelps enjoyed playing music with her younger sister, Erin, now 19. Originally, Erin played the piano, but when the girls got too competitive with one another, she switched to the violin.

"It was really wonderful to grow up with a sister who loves music and loves to play music," Phelps said.

As an undergraduate, Phelps continued advancing her music career at Juilliard, studying under Julian Martin. Juilliard is solely a school for musicians and applicants must audition in order to gain admission, Phelps explained. Upon graduation, she received the John Erskine Prize "for an exceptional level of scholastic and artistic achievement."

Currently, Phelps is pursuing her Master of Music degree while serving as a staff accompanist at Juilliard. She recently returned from a 12-day trip to Hamburg, Germany, where she participated in another competition.

Although Phelps has won numerous competitions, such as the National Symphony Orchestra Young Soloists' Competition, and performed both chamber and solo music all over the country, she is especially excited to play at Strathmore. Playing solo is something she has not gotten to do very frequently.

"I'd kind of taken for granted performing in high school because in Frederick there were a lot of opportunities for me," she said "I don't get to perform solo music nearly as often."

Phelps recalls reading brochures from Strathmore years ago, looking to see which musicians were playing.

"It's a really wonderful opportunity for me," she said. "I'm really honored to be a part of it."

Phelps was able to choose her music for the Strathmore performance, which includes Franz Schubert's "Sonata in D Minor," one of her all-time favorite works. She will also play Ludwig Van Beethoven's "C Major Rondo, Op. 51 No. 1," and Robert Schumann's "Fantasy in C Major, Op. 17."

Playing at Strathmore will also give Phelps a chance to return home. She said her family and friends are attending the concert.

After completing her Master's, Phelps plans to stay in New York for a couple years and may apply for a Doctorate in Music and a fellowship program, she said. She would also like to do more solo piano and collaborative work, but admits that she is still not sure exactly what the future might bring.

One thing is certain: Phelps loves what she does.

"I think a lot of people end up going into a career or getting jobs that are tedious," she said. "I'm at this place right now where I just love playing the piano. I feel really fresh and feel really exited about it."