Y'all remember the collective yaaassss we let out when we saw that the string section in Beyoncé's Coachella HBCU band was comprised of black women, right? Those black women violinists did their thang!

Well, that image was a lovely representation of the many black girls currently slaying string sections across the world. One of these black girls, 15-year-old cellist Ifetayo Ali-Landing, is a cello prodigy who will be making her professional debut at the Chicago Symphony Center in May. 

“It means a lot,” Landing told WTTW's Chicago Tonight when asked about her pro debut. “I’ve seen a lot of people perform there, and I’ve always wanted to perform there, but now I get a chance to perform there with Melissa White.” Melissa White is a world renown black violinist.

Landing gave viewers a taste of her Symphony Center performance by performing "Allegro Appassionato in D Major" and "Song of the Black Swan" by Heitor Villa-Lobos on the show. 


Landing has been killing the game for a while now. She made waves after nailing a solo performance of “Lalo’s Concerto in D Minor” with the Sphinx Symphony Orchestra in Detroit, Michigan. Her skills won her the 2017 Junior Division First-Place Laureate.

Go, girl!

Photo: GIPHY

Landing initially picked up the violin at 3-years-old before switching to the cello. She cites Mozart and Russian composer Shostakovich as her musical influences.

Oh, and music runs in Landing's family. Her Siblings and parents play instruments, and her mother owns Hyde Park Suzuki Institute, a music school in Chicago. It's in her genes!