A 14-year-old is making headlines with her talent. With her dedication, New Jersey flute prodigy Chideha Osondu has gained the respect of her church and neighborhood.
Osondu is currently on her way to Juilliard through the famous Music Advancement Program.
“They told me I won and I was in shock because I didn’t think there was a chance I would get that far,” Osondu told WABC.
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Osondu’s church, St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church in Bloomfield, urged her to pursue scholarships for her music in order to further a greater good. With their help and her prayers, her gift has been transformed into a gift from heaven.
“We’re new to the parish. We opened just after COVID,” said Father Larry Fama of St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church. “They said, ‘we think our daughter has a talent. What can we do? How can she let that talent blossom?’ And the rest is history.”
With the church’s embrace, Osondu was able to flourish. She plays at Mass and has developed into a multi-talented musician.
“It took me three weeks to start to get any hearable tone on the flute,” Osondu expressed.
Osondu also plays the trumpet and three different types of saxophone, in addition to the flute and piano. She is from a musically inclined family.
Still, on the day of the audition, Osondu admits that her anxieties got the best of her.
“I was so scared,” she said. “I was even on the verge of crying, I was like, I don’t think this is for me.”
Thankfully, it was for her, thanks to the help and love of her parents, the musical director, and the head of Bloomfield’s St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church.
According to Chinwe Osondu, her mother, Osondu did not permit her siblings to outdo her in any way.
“She’s the one that’s like, I will do more than my brothers are doing, so she plays all five instruments,” said Osondu’s mother.
Osondu’s Juilliard studies will continue until high school. She aspires to be a professional musician or doctor.
In addition to her work with the music ministry, she intends to continue volunteering at her parish as an altar server and in the soup kitchen.
The young prodigy expressed gratitude to her parish community for their support over the years and stated that she wishes to return the favor as much as she can, particularly by using her musical talents, which she does not take for granted.
“It’s important that I share my talent because music can be very therapeutic, especially for people who are struggling,” Chideha told the Jersey Catholic. “I recently performed at a Mass for parents who had lost their children, and it brought people to tears. I was really glad I could help them release that emotion. It felt like I was giving back to God using the gift He gave me.”
The Juilliard website describes the Music Advancement Program (MAP) as a tuition-free program that expands access to classical music education for intermediate and advanced level students ages 8-17 from the five boroughs of New York City and the tristate area.
Students are selected through a competitive application, audition, and interview procedure. Each year, the Music Advancement Program takes around 30 new students, totaling 95-100 enrolled students.
Students who are accepted into MAP may continue to participate for a maximum of four years or until their final year of high school, whichever comes first.
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