Student Spotlight: Angela (Angie) Carlson
June 22nd, 2026
Sixteen-year-old Angie Carlson has been studying piano at the Music Institute of Chicago for 10 years. Currently a student of Elaine Felder, she has also studied with Katherine Petersen and Weiwen Ma. Inspired by watching her older sister learn piano, Angie decided she wanted to play as well. Over the years, she has taken advantage of a variety of opportunities at MIC, and through these experiences, Angie and her family have seen not only her musical growth, but also the joy it brings her.
For Angie’s parents, providing a high-quality music education was important from the beginning.
"Even though neither of us have had any musical training, we knew when Angie and her sister Ava were young that we wanted to give them a high quality musical education early on. We researched the various options in the Chicago area, and decided upon MIC based on its reputation for exceptional teaching. We are so happy that we did!"
Ten years later, Angie remains motivated by her own progress.
"The desire to do better, to play a current piece better or learn a harder piece in the future, is a major motivation, as well as being able to perform really well in recitals or competitions. It's all comparative to myself, not to others, and how I've improved in the past year or two in particular makes me want to continue to improve."
One of Angie's favorite parts of playing piano is discovering how deeper musical understanding can transform a piece and the learning experience.
"I really enjoy all the different ways to express a piece and the small details that add up to make a huge difference. While learning a piece can at first be kind of tedious, when I know a piece well enough that I can incorporate what I want to, it's really rewarding!" she shares. "Now, actually understanding the details and getting into them, and playing the details with intention, makes it fun and is the best part."
Angie has embraced many of MIC's performance and enrichment opportunities, including Chamber Music, the Chicago Duo Piano Festival, and Advanced Piano Camp.
She first joined Chamber Music because she wanted to play with a friend from school who is a violinist.
"I enjoyed it a lot! It introduced me to playing with other people and instruments," she says. "Chamber music is personally both more engaging and rewarding than playing solo because of the interaction and coordination, and also because of seeing two or more parts come together and make something so different from just one part alone."
Chamber Music eventually led Angie to duo piano playing, which quickly became another favorite musical experience.
"Angie said that interacting musically with another pianist was especially fun and motivating," her parents share. "That naturally led to her and her duo partner, Celia, enrolling in the Chicago Duo Piano Festival, with this summer's festival being Angie's third in a row."
Angie has also participated in MIC's Advanced Piano Camp for the past two summers.
"I had multiple lessons a day which was helpful for my pieces. Different teachers pointed out different aspects of certain sections, which really gave me insight on how other people may interpret something. Incorporating those insights was challenging but fun. Additionally, the daily master classes and performance classes helped me build confidence and further improve."
These experiences have shaped Angie not only as a musician, but also as a person.
"It has made me more meticulous and I think it has also improved my attention span," she shares. "It forces me to look at the same things in different ways so I can see more of the whole and how other people may understand something differently. It also lets me appreciate how small details contribute in big ways in music, other forms of art, and life in general."
Outside of music, Angie recently completed her sophomore year of high school, where she enjoys advanced math and science classes, flag football, and a variety of extracurricular activities. She was recently elected as a representative in her school's Student Government for her junior year.
She is also a member of her school's Aquarium Club and recently set up her own aquarium at home. In addition, she co-founded and is currently president of two student organizations: Caring Communities, which supports assisted living facilities through musical performances and donation drives, and Writing Workshop, which helps students develop their writing skills and promotes writing as an art form. In her free time, she enjoys drawing and reading.
Angie's parents have enjoyed watching both her musical and personal growth over the years.
"Music has definitely helped Angie develop a perseverance that extends beyond music itself," they say. "Achieving mastery of a piece over weeks of practice shows that long-term goals are achievable, which creates a patience and confidence that carries forward later in life."
Looking back, they have many fond memories from Angie's musical journey.
"We've loved attending Angie's formal recitals, both at MIC and elsewhere. Nichols Concert Hall always feels like such a special space, no matter how often you've been there. Angie attended Interlochen for the last two summers for 3-week piano camps, and we were fortunate to attend her wonderful recitals there as well."
Also very memorably, our neighbors have occasionally told us how much they enjoy hearing Angie practice, even turning off the TV show they're watching so they can listen more closely."
They are especially grateful for the teachers who have guided Angie along the way.
"The wonderful teachers at MIC, whose skill, patience, dedication and never-ending encouragement have made all of this possible."
"We are grateful not only for how much Angie has grown as a pianist, but also for the joy, confidence, and discipline that music has brought into her life."
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