Age: 20
From: Palm Beach Gardens, FL
Instrument: French Horn
Favorite Brew: Combining Peppermint and Orange Teas
Q: Why did you decide to pursue music as a career?
Max: "I got into the band program at Interlochen the summer after my Freshman year in high school, and that was the summer that I decided I wanted to be a professional horn player. I watched a performance of Beethoven 5 played by WYSO with Jung-Ho Pak, and original as that piece is, it amazed me that students so close to my age were capable of creating something so amazing; I was stunned. After that concert I told myself, "That, I want to do that." From then on I worked my ass off, and for the next three summers I was able to play with WYSO. Initially hearing that orchestra, and then playing in that orchestra is what solidified my choice in pursuing it as a career."