Nadya Hill is a vocalist,听violinist,听visual artist and听full-stack Javascript web developer.
The Denver native graduates听with a master鈥檚 degree in voice performance;听and after turns in opera classics Die Fledermaus,听The Magic Flute,听L'incoronazione di Poppea and Cos矛 fan tutte,听she鈥檚 looking forward to going out on a slightly different note.
Music is in Hill鈥檚 blood: Her father is principal timpanist for the Colorado Symphony, her mother is a violinist and her brother Colin is a junior jazz drum major at CU. Hill started playing violin as a child and, since then, music has been intertwined with everything in her life.
"It鈥檚 hard to say exactly why music is so important, because for me, it鈥檚 just necessary and omnipresent. It鈥檚 as much of a need to me as eating, breathing or sleeping."
Fast forward to her time at CU Boulder:听Hill has had roles in five operas, and anyone who鈥檚 watched her perform can plainly see passion shining through her skill and engaging stage presence. So, with all that natural musical talent going for her, why computer programming?
"After my first year of grad school, I was overwhelmed by the possibility that I might not be able to support myself as a musician. So I started teaching myself to code; then I took a 10-week intensive course in Boulder . . . The world of professional musicians is notoriously financially unpredictable, so there鈥檚 something comforting in knowing that while I have the skills to be a professional performer, I can also always know where my next meal is coming from."
Plus, in coding, Hill has found yet another creative outlet.
"Coding听is听definitely an art form in itself,"听she says. "To make a successful website, it has to be fun, easy to navigate, and personalized for each individual business, which ends up feeling like solving puzzles all day."
As her time in Boulder draws to a close, the Jill of All Trades hopes to put her many skills to use wherever her path leads her next. And she鈥檒l look fondly on the lessons she learned and friends she made at the College of Music.
