Alumna finds mentor in former professor, performs in recital

Meredith Aldis | Broadcast Reporter

Two Baylor music faculty members, Dr. Eka Gogichashvili and Kae Hosoda-Ayer, presented a recital with guest violinist Mia Orosco, who was Gogichashvili’s former student.

But Gogichashvili was more than a teacher for Orosco.

“It has been a special relationship. I’ve known her since she was very little since she’s from Waco,” said Gogichashvili, associate professor of violin at Baylor’s School of Music. “That’s part of what we do at Baylor, we go through the four years mentoring the students from day one until they graduate.”

After having a student/teacher relationship, the two collaborated to perform a recital together. The program started out with chamber music with an orchestra, then two solo violins and finally, a piece with a pianist.

“The repertoire for two violins in general is very limited,” Gogichashvili, said. “So these three are our favorite pieces, so we decided to give a little bit of the world.”

Orosco and Gogichashvili have a very unique relationship.

“We’re basically like the same person,” Orosco said.

“That is true,” Gogichashvili said.

But they share more than just their passion for playing the violin.

“We are pretty much the same person in every way, which is why I think we get along so well and play so well together,” Orosco said.

Orosco loved Gogichashvili’s teaching so much that she is now studying at Indiana University with the professor’s former teacher.

“It won’t ever quite pass up Dr. Eka, but he’s been really good. So I’ve kind of taken her teaching and gone even further with it,” Orosco said.