Cyndi Loza

You could hear a pin drop when 7-year-old Amanda Kristanti played the violin on Sunday.

“Everyone was so captivated by the music that it was so quiet,” said Joan Vereen, a friend of the family. “I would even say the music was heavenly. You just wanted to go to sleep.”

Amanda performed for family and friends at the Washoe County Library Downtown on Sunday. She was recently invited to play for the first violin section of the Reno Philharmonic Youth Concert Orchestra.

“I did good,” Amanda said. “Everyone got very excited.”

The violinist’s skill level for her age impressed many at the performance. Amanda will be a third-grader at the Peavine Elementary School in the fall.

“I think she plays beyond her years, that’s really what I thought about when she was done,” said Joey Bock, pastor at Faith Alive Christian Center of Reno. “Very bright and gifted.”

Amanda began her music studies at 3, taking piano lessons from her mother, Farida Jamin, and violin lessons from Ruth Lenz, a violinist for the Reno Philharmonic.

“I’d call her a prodigy because she’s learning music that is much more advanced than what her (peers) study,” said Lenz, who added that Amanda is playing music that needs 7 to 8 years of violin practice.

Lenz said her age helps her perform better.

“It helps when you start out young because you’re not really afraid of it,” Lenz said. “When you’re older, you’re a lot more nervous and self-conscious.”