Carla Martin, First Violin
I have been in the Columbia Orchestra since fall 2011 when I moved to the area from out of state. I am a mathematician in disguise! Until moving to the Columbia area, I was a math professor at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, VA and just received tenure. I am still adjusting to life in the "city" from life in the Shenandoah Valley where I felt like I knew a good portion of my town! However, one thing that was lacking was a full symphony orchestra. I now get the best of both worlds.
I have wanted to play the violin ever since I heard one when I was 3 years old. Given my musical upbringing, it is no surprise I chose mathematics as a career path. I wrote my undergraduate thesis paper on math and music. Recently, I even gave a talk on linear recurrence relations on music at a national mathematics conference. There seem to be a lot of mathematician musicians. The mathematics department of my graduate school had so many musicians in it, we had our very own spring concert every year.
I've played in musical groups in every town I've lived. These include The New River Valley Symphony, George Mason Symphony, Prince George's Philharmonic, Cornell Symphony Orchestra, Cornell Chamber Orchestra, Eastern Mennonite Community Orchestra, and the Charlottesville Symphony Orchestra. A highlight of my orchestral playing was performing all nine Beethoven Symphonies to a sold out crowds during my years at Cornell.
I love cold weather and outdoor sports. My graduate school years at Cornell University in upstate New York were the perfect time study mathematics, play violin, and to learn to climb. I climbed rock, ice, snow, glaciers, roofs, wooden clock towers, you name it. Ice climbing in the Adirondacks when the temperature is -20 F makes for some "cool" memories. I taught calculus and rock climbing separately, but I was also spotted teaching calculus to my climbing students and vice versa.
Shortly after my first child was born, we took a trip to Yosemite National Park and I climbed the Lost Arrow Spire with a guide. The picture of me is at the top of the spire (valley floor is about 3,500 feet straight down behind me!). I did a James Bond move in my Tyrolean traverse back to the cliff in front a crowd of onlookers!
Rock climbing expeditions got exponentially more difficult as the number of children in our family increased. So I started the next best thing: becoming a triathlete (or a triMATHlete?). I just needed a bike and the skill to swim. I figured swimming was kind of like mathematics, so after I taught myself from a book how to swim I was on my way! This year I'm excited to "tri" the Columbia Triathlon after completing 4 triathlons in the mountains. There seem to be a lot of mathematician triathletes. By the transitive property, that would imply that there will be some triathlons completed by Columbia orchestra members in the future.
This year I'm on leave from James Madison University in pursuit of some research interests. However, my husband and I love the area so much we're staying! Currently, I am enjoying being home with our 3 children (ages 2, 5, 8) and of course I teach them some math and music.
