Mount Hood teen Charan Loprinzi is building a life through music

By Marie Kennedy, The Mountain Times

At first glance, the 16-year-old Mount Hood-area student appears quiet and unassuming. Sitting in a local coffee shop beside his mother, Rebecca, he speaks softly about music, school, and ongoing work around the family’s home. Beneath that calm demeanor is a young musician performing advanced classical repertoire, studying college-level theory, and preparing for a future in professional music.

Charan studies classical violin and trumpet, performs jazz and improvisation, and regularly appears with his older brother John at farmers markets, wineries, and community events. He also plays first violin with the Portland State University string orchestra during opera productions and is preparing for chamber music programs through the University of Portland that include work with the Delgani String Quartet. This summer, he will perform Mendelssohn’s String Quartet No. 2 in A minor in a youth chamber program.

Charan plays his trumpet while a friend plays guitar

“I’ve been thinking a lot about solo music in the classical world, being accompanied by an orchestra,” Charan said. “But I also really love jazz.”

Even with an extensive musical résumé, he speaks about his work with quiet reflection.

“When somebody feels really touched by it, that means a lot to me,” he said. “It makes me appreciate how far I’ve come.”

His mother said music came early and naturally.

“He never had to be told to study,” Rebecca Loprinzi said. “He just did it.”

Rebecca said Charan asked for a different instrument each Christmas, moving through piano, ukulele, saxophone and trumpet before focusing most deeply on violin while continuing with trumpet and composition work. He still plays other instruments casually.

Alongside private instruction and ensemble work, he has studied music theory through community college coursework and youth programs, building a foundation for advanced chamber music.

His teachers describe a musician with unusual range and discipline. Violin instructor Dr. Tomás Cotik of Portland State University said Charan shows “dedication, work ethic, and genuine commitment,” noting steady progress in technical control and musical understanding.

Jazz guitarist Dan Balmer, a longtime Portland performer and educator, called him “incredibly gifted with a very sharp musical mind,” adding that he absorbs concepts quickly and applies them across instruments. He said he has rarely encountered a student with comparable versatility.

Charan has also found success in competitive music performance. Earlier this year, he placed first at district competition and second at the state level in trumpet through the Oregon Music Education Association.

Rebecca said Charan’s academic path accelerated in unexpected ways. He attended an online learning program that allowed him to move quickly through coursework. By eighth grade, she said, he had already completed high school-level language classes without realizing it.

“We enrolled him in Summit –  it’s online schooling,” she said. “By the time he was in eighth grade, he had already taken Spanish, French, and sign language up to the high school level. We didn’t realize he was taking high school classes.”

By the end of middle school, he had earned nearly a year of high school credit. When the family later enrolled him at Mount Hood Community College for placement testing, Rebecca said instructors told them he was already working beyond the high school level.

“They told us he should be going to college,” she said. “That he was performing at an advanced academic level and really shouldn’t be in high school.”

From there, Charan transitioned into college-level coursework while continuing his music studies.

Outside music and academics, he is part of a long-running rebuilding effort at home after a house fire. The family has spent years restoring parts of their property using reclaimed and recycled materials. What began as chores gradually became work he takes pride in.

“At the very beginning, it felt more like chores,” Charan said. “But it really started to grow on me, seeing everything come together.”

Over time, he and his brother John began working side by side on projects around the property, including a recently completed deck built from salvaged materials. He also helps with firewood, cooking, and daily responsibilities at home, especially as his brother manages health challenges and his mother takes on additional demands.

Rebecca said the support has been essential.

“He does so much,” she said. “I keep telling him we’re OK, that I want him to focus on his music. But he’s just always helping.”

She paused before adding a quieter reflection.

“He’s like an old soul in a young man’s body.”

Rebecca also shared a deeply personal detail about the family’s past.

“I raised my four boys,” she said. “And I had their blessing. I adopted three siblings when their mother needed help. Charan was born in the living room here on the mountain. I was his midwife.”

Charan with his mother

For Rebecca, watching that growth has been emotional.

“When he plays, it calms people,” she said. “He’s always had that ability through music.”

For Charan, that connection remains central.

“Knowing music can affect people that deeply means everything to me,” he said.

Local performances:Hoodland Farmers Market – July 11, 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m.

Sandy Mount Hood/Ant Farm Farmers Market – June 14, July 26, and Sept. 13, 3 p.m.-6:30 p.m.

For performance information, contact Rebecca Loprinzi at 360-310-6778.