Abigail “Abby” Wangui Muriithi, 15, is a musical prodigy with aspirations to be a software engineer. Over the past decade, the member of the Safaricom Youth Orchestra has risen to be the First Violinist.
In an orchestra, being a first violinist means you are on the pathway to be the lead. Despite her young age, Abby relishes the challenge of responsibility, and the excellence demanded.
Drawing from her musically inclined parents, Abby began dabbling with musical instruments, aided by her mum when she was three. From when she was four, she took up formal training in violin, piano, singing, drums, guitar, flute and cello.
It has not been all smooth sailing. Abby dropped off from singing classes after her interest waned. As for drums, the departure of her teacher led to the end of her lessons. She is also still striving to get better as a guitarist.
Abby has been studying classical music with various teachers both privately and at Wynton House of Music. She is currently pursuing grade 8 on violin and piano and grade 6 on guitar, cello, and flute.
As a testament to her musical prowess, she has twice been a finalist in the Young Musicians Competition, the most advanced competition for young instrumentalists in Kenya. She was second place in the first Spanish Guitar competition held in Kenya in March 2022.
Her most recent achievement was her first professional gig with a renowned entertainment veteran pianist, Francis Njoroge. In the 1980s, Njoroge was the keyboardist for the legendary African Heritage band founded by Allan Donavan and Ayub Oguda. The band toured the world and shared the stage with the likes of the late Cameroonian maestro Manu Dibango.
She learned his music compositions based on traditional Kenyan music arranged initially only for piano but now incorporated the cello and violin. The concert held at the Muthaiga Country Club on 30th June 2022 was a huge success.
Abby believes that the creativity, discipline, and persistence that she has acquired from classical music training will hold her in good stead when she pursues education and a career in software engineering. Still, she has been trying her hand and is interested in tennis, football, and swimming.
