NOTE: This is one of two stories that will run side by side Friday under the same headline.

Cara Cheung was recently named the new executive coordinator for the Eastern Connecticut Symphony Orchestra and officially reports to work Tuesday. Let's hope her office is big enough for her cello.

Indeed, Cheung is a conservatory trained cellist who, in addition to her new ECSO duties, will continue to perform as a member of the Hartford Symphony Orchestra and the New Haven Symphony Orchestra. She also teaches music at the Community School in Centerbook.

Fortunately, Cheung is centrally located. She lives in East Lyme with her husband, United States Coast Guard Band principal French Horn player Matthew Muehl-Miller, their daughter SeeYin Muehl-Miller and a Lhasa Apso mix named Siufu. (Her daughter's and the dog's names are both in Cantonese in honor of her mother's native tongue.)

"I'm so excited to get to work with the ECSO and (executive director) Caleb Bailey and (music director/conductor) Toshiyuki Shimada," Cheung says in a phone interview last week. "I so much admire the work they've done and continue to do."

Cheung's focus with the orchestra will be on public relations, marketing and design, office management and event coordination.

"I really enjoy all aspects of music," Cheung says. "There's so much going on in the world and so many possibilities competing for someone's attention, and I like the challenge of working on ways to attract and engage audience members. What Toshi and Caleb have done, particularly during the pandemic, is to come up with new ways to stay connected with provide content with the ECSO community, is so impressive."

Expansive background

Born in Hong Kong and raised in a musical family, Cheung also lived for several years in Vancouver. Her mother ran a popular music school, and her father was a choral director. Cheung says she had a passion for music at an early age — one her parents nurtured by teaching her that only through practice and hard work would her dreams be realized.

"I didn't enjoy the practicing so much — I don't know many musicians who do — but you begin to appreciate the discipline, particularly as you start to get good on your instrument," she says.

Cheung chose cello because its tones and qualities remind her of the human voice. Also, she says, as a child, she wanted a large instrument. She laughs. "I think all little kids want the biggest instrument or toys or whatever."

Cheung began her studies at the Hong Kong Academy of Performing Arts under the tutelage of esteemed teacher Ray Wang. She then attended the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University in Houston, where she met Muehl-Miller. After moving to Connecticut when Muehl-Miller became a member of the Coast Guard Band, Cheung earned an artist diploma from the Hartt School of Music.

Cheung says she and her husband naturally hope 2-year-old SeeYin shares their love of music but, to this point, their daughter is very proud to have learned that, if she drops food on the floor, Siufu is delighted to eat it.

Cheung answered a few questions prior to her first week of work. Answers have been edited for space and clarity.

Q: You've lived in Vancouver, Hong Kong and Houston — all communities with vibrant and superb arts scenes — and performed all over the world. What's appealing about a small town like New London?

A: Everyone seems to knows everyone else within a very diverse community. There's a lot of cooperation and genuine interest in what others are doing. I really enjoy that aspect. With the ECSO, it's easier to reach out across this area because it's so tightly knitted. That presents a lot of possibilities you wouldn't have in a larger city where there are so many choices it can get overwhelming. The capacity to connect with people is much greater.

I (only met) some of the musicians (at this week's rehearsals) but I was instantly comfortable getting to know Caleb and Toshi during my interviews. Caleb is so passionate and capable; I knew the organization was in very good hands. Plus, it turns out we both know Rita Porfiris, currently professor of viola at the Hartt School. So we had that in common. And Toshi is almost like a kind uncle. He's so easy to talk to and so knowledgeable about music and so many different styles of music.

Q: Technology presents a problem for any arts group simply because people don't have to leave their homes and so much is available directly from their keypad. Out of necessity, this became even more of an issue with the pandemic. How does your role at the ECSO fit into this dynamic?

A: You're right. Music is so easily accessible on YouTube or Spotify, and on customized playlists, that is almost becomes background rather than the focus or the experience. I want to help bring the ECSO back to the forefront and help convey that music is going to bring value to your life. It's important, an essential part of life. I'm happy to do anything for the ECSO if it will help facilitate those ideas.

I should add I'm not exempt from the reality that everything is so accessible. (Laughs) I love listening to K-pop and watching videos on Twitch and YouTube, particularly Korean drama. But music should be high on the priorities list. I think it's essential, like food and being warm

Q: K-pop! Hey, there's so much great music in the world. Caleb is a very fine and sophisticated pop songwriter, and I've had conversations with Toshi about all kinds of music styles. Musicians should be curious about other genres, right?

A: Exactly. We work so hard to get good at music, and it's easy to get fixated on the conservatory curriculum. With the younger musicians I teach, I always encourage them to go out and listen to other stuff. Play something besides classical — there are no limitations. I tell them to get out of their comfort zones. "Maybe YOU'LL be the one to discover something new."

Q. In a way, that reminds me of something you said earlier — that music connects people. It seems we need that more than ever.

A. Yes. In this political climate, if you can, for example, share a concert experience with someone of different beliefs, isn't that what living is about? Human connection through the arts. We're hopefully coming out of a period where there weren't a lot of activities we could share. It's more important than ever to experience the intangible magic of a live music event that you don't get by streaming from your own device.