Caroline Campbell, former Paly student and Stanford graduate, returns to Palo Alto today to perform in concert on the violin; proceeds from the event will benefit the PAUSD Music Education Program.

Campbell will play an assortment of violin pieces, beginning with a movement from Edvard Grieg’s "sonata for violin and piano in C minor," which Campbell describes as “dramatic and romantic, both fiery and tender, and perhaps at times reminiscent of Brahms.” Brahms was a prominent artist of the Romantic period in musical history.

Campbell will move on to play two movements of Debussy’s "sonata for violin and piano" and then will play three shorter pieces. The first is a movement from Vivaldi’s "Four Seasons," and two pieces by Fritz Kreisler titled “Liebesleid” and “Leibesfrued,” meaning “love’s sorrow” and “love’s joy,” respectively. Campbell will end with “Scottish Fantasy” by Max Bruch, a piece in four movements.

“‘Scottish Fantasy’ uses traditional Scottish folk tunes and creates a virtuosic fantasy on them,” Campbell said.

Campbell, 25, started playing the violin at the young age of three and began her musical career at the age of eight, with the Reno Philharmonic.

“There wasn’t a particular day I decided I wanted to make music my career." Campbell said. "It was a gradual process, mostly happening in high school. I realized I was choosing to put an increasing amount of time toward my violin… It became clear that music was my priority, and it has been ever since.”

Campbell then went on to solo with the Cleveland Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and the Indianapolis Symphony, among others, according to Campbell’s website (http://www.sonusquartet.com). Campbell has preformed as a soloist in Carnegie Hall numerous times and as concertmaster of the New York String Orchestra.

“I do competitions not so much for the money or prestige, but for the practicing and hard work that I put in beforehand,” Campbell said. “You also meet fellow musicians, which is fun, and learn a lot by listening to other competitors.”

Campbell, who received the National Presidential Award for the Arts in 1998, also won the top violin prize in the 2002 Klein International String Competition. “In 1998 I was a senior in high school and was very lucky to be chosen as a presidential scholar,” Campbell said. Campbell was nominated by the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts, and was later honored by former U.S. President Clinton at a White House ceremony. Campbell then continued on to solo at the Kennedy Center and with the Brandenburg Ensemble.

Campbell has toured around the world playing chamber music and performing as a soloist at concerts and on the radio in England, Canada, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, and the Czech Republic, according to Campbell’s site.

Despite Campbell’s wide range of venues, she is committed to performing in benefit concerts and outreach programs. “To think that I can help musically inspire kids with outreach programs in our schools and help buy and repair instruments with proceeds from my benefit concerts is wonderfully rewarding,” Campbell said.

Campbell is living in Los Angeles now, performing as a soloist and working with a string quartet. “The string quartet is fun because it allows me to work with three other young musicians,” Campbell said. Together, they play everything from classical music to their own arrangements of Led Zeppelin songs.

Campbell is performing at 7:30 p.m. tonight in the Haymarket Theatre at Palo Alto High School. General admission tickets are $12, $15 at the door. Senior and student tickets are $5.