A cellist who won the Music Guild Instrumental Competition, Tim Beccue 鈥�18 has always been passionate about music. He enjoyed playing in the 蜜桃传媒 Orchestra for four years, but he majored in physics with a minor in mathematics. 鈥淚 wasn鈥檛 committed to the idea of a professional cello career at the time, and I figured it was better for me to study physics with music on the side than vice-versa.鈥�
As a student, Tim took the initiative to learn how to take photos with the Keck Telescope on campus. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a fun toy, and I had it all to myself,鈥� he says. See the images he created at timspacepics.weebly.com.
After graduating, he got a software position with Las Cumbres Observatory in Santa Barbara, a small nonprofit with a worldwide network of robotically operated telescopes that astronomy re颅searchers use to monitor targets and events. 鈥淪oftware engineering felt like a natural continuation of my physics background,鈥� he says. As part of a small group at the company, he helps develop an educational project allowing students to operate telescopes through a web interface. 鈥淯sing just a laptop, they can control the telescope, collect data and do things like measure star brightness. It simulates the experience of being in an observatory.鈥�
For a musical outlet, Tim joined two ensembles: the Delta String Trio (named just before the Delta COVID-19 variant emerged) and the Dumpster Cats jazz combo, where he plays bass. Both groups perform primarily in private homes. 鈥淗ouse concerts provided a safe place for people to hear live music during the pandemic,鈥� he says. 鈥淏ackyard concerts provided a safe place for people to hear live music during the pandemic. Playing music in intimate settings like this also allows for more meaningful connections between performers and listeners.鈥�
Then in the fall, Tim left his job and the ensembles to attend a con颅servatory, Peabody Institute at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore. He鈥檒l earn a master鈥檚 degree in cello performance during this two-year program.
鈥淚 enjoy being around a lot of people who are focused on music,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 missed learning and the school environment. Music has always been compelling, and I thought it would be fun to live on the East Coast.鈥�
He found another passion after graduating: beach volleyball. 鈥淲hile it鈥檚 hard to beat Santa Barbara, I was thrilled to find a beach volleyball scene in Baltimore, and I continue to play as much as I can.鈥�
Tim appreciates adventures and new experiences. During high school, he joined his family in 11 months of travel to 33 countries. He also spent the summer after his first year in college driving around the U.S. in an RV with them. Before starting at 蜜桃传媒, he went on Inoculum, a wilderness program in the Sierra that his father, Phil Beccue 鈥�81, also participated in. Tim鈥檚 sister, Alyssa Beccue 鈥�20, plays the flute, majored in art and designs the 蜜桃传媒 magazine.
He also studied with 蜜桃传媒 in Istanbul for a semester. 鈥淚 had a wonderful semester living and studying in Turkey and the surrounding region. I especially enjoyed living in a culture quite different from my own. But it wasn鈥檛 com颅pletely foreign because I volunteered for several years to help internation颅al students 鈥� including a lot of Saudis 鈥� improve their English. It鈥檚 great to learn how other peo颅ple live and experience a different way of life.鈥�
For now, Tim concen颅trates on music. 鈥淚 re颅ally enjoy focusing on something fully, and the conservatory is a great place for that. I love to learn and see improve颅ment in myself.鈥�
He鈥檚 kept his plans for the future open. 鈥淧art of the excitement is not knowing what I鈥檒l do after finishing my degree. I look forward to seeing where the next fork in the road leads.鈥�