When 12-year-old Aubree Oliverson stood in front of a crowd at Carnegie Hall about to perform on March 6, she wasn’t scared.

She wasn’t nervous, either, as she played “Praeludium and Allegro,” composed by Fritz Kreisler, on her violin.

Utah native Aubree won first prize in the American Protégé International strings competition and was invited to perform at Carnegie Hall with about 25 other musicians from multiple countries from around the world.

“It was just an awesome, awesome program,” said Stephen Oliverson, Aubree’s father. “And Aubree got the biggest ovation of all the performers when she was there. She really lights up the stage when she wants to.”

Aubree originally submitted a DVD to the competition, and later found out her results in an e-mail.

“My dad told me to come here, and he got the e-mail first, and he said, ‘You better look at this. Your violin teacher just sent you an e-mail and you are in trouble,’ ” Aubree said. “And I was, like, ‘Uh oh’ because I had just got home from a lesson. And then I looked at it, and it said, ‘You get to go to Carnegie Hall.’ And I was, like, ‘Wow!’ “

Aubree described Carnegie Hall as a beautiful place to perform, with great acoustics that made it easy to play and sound good in.

She wore a sparkly turquoise dress and had her hair curled, something she said is important because most people wear black when they perform and that is “boring,” so she likes to wear colorful clothes when she can.

“I love performing, it’s one of my favorite things to do,” Aubree said. “I always smile when I perform and so that’s what people notice I guess.”

Her father said she probably wasn’t nervous because since she had already won the competition, she was just there to perform, something most 12-year-olds would still find nerve-racking.

But not Aubree.

Aubree composed her first song when she was 5 years old, which inspired her already musically talented father to become more creative with his music.

“I’ve always loved the piano, and I haven’t had the classical training like she’s getting, but I’ve always loved to play, and I like to create things,” Stephen said. “But she can come up with some really neat tunes — she’ll start humming them.”

From there, the two would sit down and take the humming and turn it into an arrangement. Now that Aubree is older, she composes on her own as well as with her father, and she was twice designated as a ‘composer of great promise’ (2010 and 2011) by the New York Arts Ensemble.

“It’s amazing because I just hear it in my head,” Aubree said. “One time I started singing a song and I felt like I’ve known it for years, I’m, like, ‘Hey, I love this song,’ and then I ask my mom, ‘Do you know that song?’ and she’ll say, ‘No, I’ve never heard it.’ And I’ll ask my dad, ‘Do you know that song?’ and he’ll say, ‘No, I’ve never heard it,’ and then I’m, like, ‘Maybe I made that up,’ and I did.”

Aubree stays very busy with her music, performing on her own, with the SLC Gifted Music School Orchestra, with her father in their performing duo Moon Light, and sometimes with other musicians, too. In 2009, she made a stunning solo debut with the Utah Symphony after winning the Salute-to-Youth competition, a performance she casts as her favorite.

“I soloed with them and that was awesome,” Aubree said. “Like when the whole symphony is following you, it is just amazing.”

But behind all the performing, Aubree is just a young girl, too, a girl who does a lot of practicing.

She wakes up around 5:30 every morning and practices her violin, gets ready for school, goes to school, comes home and practices again until dinner.

Aubree fits in homework during practicing breaks, and still manages to be a good student at Provost Elementary.

Her friends know how busy she is, and understand that she can’t play with them after school or why sometimes she isn’t at school at all.

“I practice about five hours a day,” Aubree said. “Sometimes I practice more if there is a concert, and sometimes I stay home from school just to practice. That actually happens a lot.”

Moon Light often performs at school assemblies, many times including Aubree’s younger siblings Andrew, 9, and Lily, 6, who also play the violin.

“It’s really nice when someone that age can go to a school and talk about participation, and try your best and a little bit about the work ethic,” said Stephen, who would know, based on his award-winning educator career, which includes a Principal-of-the-Year award. “Kids get really motivated when they hear it from another peer because an adult could stand up, say, ‘Work hard you guys,’ but it means a lot more [coming from a peer].”

Moon Light has two upcoming performances in Utah, concerts Stephen said he is excited for because of two numbers Aubree wrote.

“One is a piano trio and one is a chamber trio for cello and two violins that are just gorgeous, and Aubree wrote them completely by herself, and they’re awesome pieces,” Stephen said. “There’s one called ‘Ode to Peace and Joy’ and is actually one of my favorite songs to hear. If I could pick a song to listen to right now, [I’d pick it]. I love that song.”

Excellence in the Community concert series presents MoonLight

When: Friday at 7:30 p.m.

Where: Waterford Concert Hall at WaterfordSchool, parking accessed at 9545 S. 1700 East, Sandy

Tickets: $15, available atexcellenceconcerts.org or (801) 718-3862

Info: Moonlightperformers.com orexcellenceconcerts.org

A special evening with Moon Light

When: April 6 at 7 p.m.

Where: Gardner Hall – University of Utah, 1375E. Presidents Circle

Info: Limited to 200 guests, by reservationonly. Call (801) 602-6496 or (801) 226-8927. Donations to benefitthe production of new music.