Meet Abby: A 14-Year-Old Girl Playing with Both Cords and Code
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- August 30, 2022
I recently had a chat with 14 years old Abigail Wangui Muriithi, who is a member of the Safaricom Orchestra. I will call her Abby instead of Abigail in this story.
Abby is multi-talented and musically inclined, plays many instruments, and wants to be a software engineer simultaneously. Born in September 2007, she started taking music lessons early. Her musical journey started at age 3 when she first laid her hand on a piano. Pianist at age 3? Luckily, she comes from a musical family, with both parents being musicians. She got introduced to music while still in her mother’s womb since her mum still taught music while pregnant.
By age 4, she had started formal training on the violin, singing, drums, guitar, and flute, and recently picked the cello. The parents own and operate a music school and play several musical instruments. Her brother is also a musician.
She’s since stopped formal lessons on drums and singing, but she utilizes the skills learned occasionally.
Feted at various music competitions
For years she’s participated in competitions like the Kenya Music Festival, winning several awards and trophies in violin and piano.
She’s also been twice a finalist in 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 when she did her first professional gig with a renowned entertainment veteran pianist; Mr. Njoroge. She learned his compositions based on our 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.
Music makes you express yourself. No one doesn’t love music. It is fun when you have an instrument – Abby.
She has been studying classical music with various teachers both privately and at Wynton House of Music, and she’s currently pursuing grade 8 on violin and piano and grade 6 on guitar, cello, and flute. She has also done grade 5 ABRSM music theory.
Abby’s story reflects Safaricom’s steps in supporting talent through the Safaricom Youth Orchestra. She’s also a member of the Safaricom Youth Orchestra, where she’s a first violinist. Her role in the orchestra as a first violinist also means that she may soon be the leader of the Safaricom Orchestra.
Besides being an impeccable musician, she also has a good ear and easily accompanies songs she listens to on her various instruments and spontaneous creation.
She’s also very competent in sports and enjoys mostly tennis, football, and swimming.
She also hopes that one day, she will help make her parent’s music school grow, have many branches, and help many other people take up music.
Software Engineering
Abby goes to School of the Nations and is also very academically inclined.
Despite her success in music at the tender age of just 14, she hopes to one day pursue a career in Software Engineering/development. Her software development journey started as a passion from her first interaction with apps, eventually picking up a subject in apps development and starting a coding class. And since she was doing well, she decided to take the journey.
