Delia Starr is setting a high bar for Haldane music students. Starr, a junior at Haldane High School, aspires to pursue a career in musical composition. She is a three time winner of the NYSSMA Young Composer Award. Starr has also been recognized locally for her skill in piano and composition; her many performances at the Chapel Restoration, a performance space located by the train station in Cold Spring, are commonly filled with people from the community. Starr is a fourth-generation musician, and music has defined her since childhood. Though surrounded by talent and support, her fervor for music comes from within. Starting at just five years old, Starr has been persistent in expanding her knowledge of the piano and music in general.
Starr’s musical career was set in motion in 2016, when her piano lessons began with her instructor, Music and Beginner Band Teacher K-12 Arts Coordinator Dan McGroarty. McGroarty was Starr’s elementary music teacher at Haldane High School, and, according to Starr, is well-versed in many musical instruments, including guitar, bass, and piano. As the years went on, Starr excelled with her piano skills and eventually outgrew McGroarty’s teaching level, according to Starr. In 2019, she found her current instructor, Alexandra Beliakovich. Beliakovich is a Belarusian-American pianist who has appeared in various orchestras and shows around the world. Beliakovich is distinguished for having won First Prize in the Klaviermusik International Competition in Vilnius, Lithuania. Starr explained that her piano teacher is like no other. “She’s about the best sight reader I’ve ever met, and I admire her insight on phrasing as well as her reasoning behind musical decisions”, Starr said.
Starr meets with Beliakovich weekly and practices for around two hours a day. She remarked on the amount of time she puts into her music: “I often get asked how I have so much time to dedicate to music,” she said, “the answer is simply that I don’t…if you really love something, you make the time for it”.
Starr’s most recent composition, titled “The Lamplighter,” tells the story of a lamplighter’s life in the 19th century through a string quartet. Starr worked on this piece during her time at Boston University Tanglewood Institute last summer while enrolled in the composition program. “The Lamplighter” illustrates her efforts towards music beyond piano performance. Starr performed “The Lamplighter” along with four other musicians at the Chapel Restoration on November 8, 2025. The performance was an impressive combination of her multiple talents. It explored both her capabilities on piano, as well as her composition skills. Being only a junior at Haldane, Starr’s music career is just beginning, but it looks bright.
