His hands are calloused and constantly cramped. Wearing worn out plaid and walking with a hefty stoop, he is the the last person you would expect to be a professional violinist.

The junior’s name is Zackary Liel and he has been playing the stringed instrument for seven years. He has been involved in the County Honors Orchestra for six of those years and he is currently the only student from Stagg to be a part of it this year. Next year, he plans on taking part in the County Honors Symphonic Band.

The first chair has been occupied by him for a large majority of his musical career. Practice is not the only reason for his adeptness, though. Before music became a career aspiration, music was a remedy for the student’s anxiety.

Liel was diagnosed with obsessive compulsive disorder in his earlier years of elementary school. It was not until sixth grade that he found an outlet for his nervous tics. A natural inclination for music bloomed when his teacher showed him the violin. The instrument gave him a great amount of joy while at the same time soothing his behavioral problems. Liel is able to be constructive with his compulsions by directing them towards his meticulous orchestra rehearsals. Now, he said, the symptoms of his OCD are barely visible.

On an average day, he will probably spend up to three hours practicing on his violin. Monthly, he will receive four hours of private lessons from the very same woman who introduced music to him. He easily spends up to 22 hours a week practicing on his own. When he is away from the violin, he will dedicate time toward writing various stories and poetry.

Liel can be found in T3 either practicing on his trademark instrument or trying his hand on another. Band director Joseph Updegraff aids Liel in additional lessons on musical theory. Friday afternoons, Liel will go down to the University of the Pacific to compose overtures with his colleague Jonathon Ivy, a former orchestra member here.

Rehearsals with the County Honors Orchestra are “incredibly enriching.” More advanced players as well as college-level performers provide Zackary Liel with invaluable advice. He also engages in meaningful conversation with the directors themselves. The pieces chosen by the directors are the ones he absolutely relishes. He describes his first few County Honors Orchestra concerts as “his first big push into pursuing a music major.”

Liel dubs himself as a “violinist all the time,” explaining that he finds music intertwined with all aspects of his life. It is a large part of his school career, but it does not interfere. The skills gained in violin have helped him in multiple subjects, particularly in mathematics. Liel praises music in deeming it a perfect way of learning “discipline” and “patience.”

He aspires to give back the same experience he had to other children. Next year, he wishes to provide his own private lessons to Stagg students.

He describes the feeling of performing in concert as “exposing what music is really about to me.” Liel finds there is a certain connection that is made between performer and stranger, something he strives to achieve every time he stands in front of an audience. Humbly, he explains how he would love to be able to play at the Faye Spanos Auditorium at the University of Pacific.

In fact, Liel exclaims it would be a dream in itself just to attend UOP. He is set on getting educated in the fields of performing and educating.

Further in life, he sees himself performing with the Stockton Symphony as well as the San Francisco Symphony. “If I’m lucky,” he said, “I’ll make it to Carnegie Hall.”

As of now, Zackary Liel is preparing his audition for the 2016 All State California Orchestra. Unlike the Country Honors Orchestra, Liel describes it as “more competitive, more exclusive, and the audition excerpts are far more challenging.”

The volume of applicants far surpasses the amount that the County Honors Orchestra receives. He says with an unwavering confidence, “Oh, it should be no problem.”