The bow pulls slowly across the strings with precision, care and love. Each note rings out, perfectly fretted and sustained not by sight, but by feel, conveying the story within the composition. It's the delicate touch wielded only by a master.

"I was given a violin box toy, except it was out of a tissue box. And then my parents realized that I was getting interested in it, and then I got a quarter-size violin that my sister outgrew," explained Clara Teller. She's 21 and lives in Dededo. Most of us enjoy music, and a handful become pretty good at it. Fewer still are those who just naturally get it. Clara...is in the rarified air of being a true virtuoso – what she's got, you can't teach. It's a gift.  And this ability has allowed her to thrive...in more ways than you know.

You see, Clara was diagnosed with autism as a little girl, and the developmental disability supressed her confidence to talk. Her discovery of music led to her freedom to communicate, to socialize, and enjoy life to its fullest. And to inspire and help others.

She recalled, "It helped me improved a lot, since I wasn't able to speak since I was 3 until until 4 years old that I heard music - how in the background my mom would be playing with my sister."

Continuing to explain her journey, she said, "Honestly, it was just like I'm in it for the ride, and then once I listened to other pieces that got more complex later on, they became my favorites, like Vivaldi, and Beethoven and all the others. I was like, 'Oh now I really want to play now!'"

Clara's violin is an extension of her soul. It channels her creativity, expression and allows her to overcome the often-overwhelming hurdle of social interaction many people with autism are challenged with everyday. she lives with autism but is now fully-functional.

"It helped me a lot, that I would be exposed to an audience and doing recitals, so at first it started off with small audiences and then and then it would go to churches, and the audience would be much larger there. And then eventually, concert halls, where there's plenty of people," she said.

Her innate ability to grasp musical concepts and instruments also extends to tickling the ivories, weaving a tapestry of beautiful arpeggios. She's also imparting encouragement in the hopes that people facing their own individual confrontations can find peace and happiness, just like her. Music education, she says, is key to unlocking just much more than a fun hobby.

She said, "If you're struggling, don't give up. And just have it as a way of solace. And yes, times will be hard, but you will be able to get back up."

Now, while the classics are Clara's jam, her uncommon talent has also given her a cool trick – a superpower, actually – being able to pick apart contemporary songs she's never heard before. As a demo, she played the theme for Super Mario Bros. merely off me humming the notes a capella. She nailed it.

And, her interaction skills have not only lt her peform publicly before crowd, but afforded her the simple pleasures of making new friends.

You can catch Clara performing Monday with the Tumon Bay Youth Orchestra at the Saint Cecilia's Music Festival.