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Upon meeting Wrigley, it is impossible
not to notice how much he smiles, and
how comfortable, confident, and happy
he is when he plays the cello. There’s no
bravado, no boastfulness. His manner
suggests he has no idea how exceptional
he is.
In his mind, it seems, he’s just a regular
kid, one who loves playing Mario and
Zelda, and who is crazy about thrill
rides - especially Falcon’s Fury at Busch
Gardens. He’s into the Wings of Fire and
Percy Jackson books, and likes math
best in school.
He’s built tons of Lego vehicles and his
favorite band is Imagine Dragons. He loves
boating, tubing, and swimming, as well
as watching the Chicago Cubs with his
family (his parents are such big fans that
they named their son after the Cub’s field).
What ’s special about Wrigley is
his dedication to the cello. He takes
orchestra in school and assists his
instructor by helping the beginner cellists.
This year, Wrigley will not only be a
member of his grade-level orchestra, but
he will also perform with the middle and
high school orchestras.
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Also, Wrigley is part of the Sarasota
Youth Orchestra, which rehearses once a
week for two hours, and he takes private
lessons weekly. In all, he spends some
nine hours a week on the cello outside
the home, his mother, Nikki, said, plus 30
to 45 minutes of daily, at-home practice.
Also, Wrigley performs in several concerts
a year for all the groups mentioned above.
When asked what he likes best about
playing the cello, Wrigley said, “When
you play as an entire orchestra, there’s
a lot of stuff that happens. And it sounds
really good.”
Wrigley’s musical abilities are not that
surprising once you learn that his talent,
plus his work ethic and determination,
come from both sides of his family. Nikki
is a professional violinist, who plays for the
Pops Orchestra in Bradenton, as well as
for the Anna Maria Island Concert Chorus
& Orchestra. She’s taught private violin
lessons for more than 20 years. In college,
she also played the drums.
Wrigley’s father, Nathan, grew up playing
the trumpet and piano, and he and
Nikki met in their college band. Nathan
has one sister who plays the violin and
another who has a Ph.D. in music and
has written a book on teaching music in
the digital age.
Also, Wrigley has two older siblings who
are musicians. Joy, 16, plays piano, and
she is involved in theater and singing at
Bradenton Christian School. Annie, 12,
plays the viola and violin, plus she runs
cross country and track at the school.
Nikki was Wrigley’s first cello teacher and
she taught him for four years, beginning the
day after he turned five. “I’ve never seen
a student understand an instrument like
Wrigley did from the beginning,” Nikki said.
She said she chose the cello for her son
partly because it’s her favorite instrument