South High school English teacher Christina Allred said she has a deep love for music.

I sat down with Allred, and she said she’s been playing the cello since the fourth grade. The person who taught her how to play the cello was her teacher who was Korean and also inspired her to start teaching the cello.

Allred used to teach the cello for 15 years in the Omaha Metro Area but not anymore.

Allred said she has played in front of an audience many times. She played in the Holland Performing Arts Center, in the pit, in bands, and at weddings, and in clubs.

She also played in front of a Holocaust survivor. It was eight years ago in the Museum of Tolerance Hall when she went to Los Angeles. The Holocaust survivor spoke to them, and her story had an emotional effect on Allred. They surprised Allred with a rented cello because they wanted her to play for the Holocaust survivor. She played in front of 150 teachers. She said for her it was the “highlight” of her life.

Allred said she was very grateful for that moment because she couldn’t believe she had the opportunity to perform in front of a Holocaust survivor; she cried as a response to the woman’s story.

She also doesn’t really play the cello anymore for two reasons. One, because she got into an accident a few years back; and two, she is in school to get her Ph.D. But Allred said if someone asks her to perform, she will, but it’s not really a priority anymore. She also said she has a master’s degree in playing the cello and wishes she could play more often.

An interesting fact about Allred is when she was recovering from her accident, she bought a guitar to learn for fun, and she also plays the piano.

A piece of advice Allred would give to a starter who would want to play the cello is to be patient with yourself and the process and overall have fun with it because ‘’it’s not going to happen overnight.” Allred also said it got progressively easier the older she got, and it got even more enjoyable because she overcame obstacles she was facing when learning how to play the cello.

But playing the cello isn’t the only thing Allred said she loves. She also loves teaching.

Allred has taught for OPS for 16 years and 10 years for South; the other school she taught for was Nathan Hale Middle School.

She teaches English at South but is also a reading specialist.