Some people might think that in today’s world a love for classical music and literature won’t take you far, but for Christine Allison these passions are taking her all the way to Oxford University.Miss Allison is finishing her sophomore year at Gordon College in Massachusetts where she is doing a double major in music and English literature. She is getting ready to spend a year studying at Oxford’s Wycliffe College as part of the Best Semester Programme offered by the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities in the United States.“For the last two years I have focused more on my music minor,” she said. “Next year, I will be focusing more on the literature side of things. I am particularly interested in medieval literature. I will pick my courses when I get out there, but I know I want to study one of my favourite authors C S Lewis. He was a professor of Medieval and Renaissance literature at Oxford, and his work was influenced by this.”One day she might apply to Oxford for graduate school, so she is looking forward to getting a taste of the place. She would eventually like to get a PhD in Medieval and Renaissance literature and go on to teach, ideally at Oxford or Cambridge University. She wants to continue with her music by playing in ensembles.“I am interested in how arts like music and literature link up historically, but really they are separate interests for me,” she said. “I am doing both of them because I just love them. My interests in music are probably more varied. I love Medieval Renaissance music but I listen to all sorts of classical music and all sorts of non-classical music.”Miss Allison has been playing the violin since she was five. She can’t remember how she got started; all she knows is that she took a liking to it almost immediately.“My mom, Terri Allison, had played viola in high school so there was a little bit of wanting to follow in her footsteps. I have been in school orchestras around the Island. I went back and forth between wanting to be a professional violinist and not wanting anything to do with music. I eventually decided I would like to pursue music studies.”On Sunday she played Bach Double Concerto in C Minor on the violin at the St John’s Youth Choir Heritage Concert. She’s been involved with the choir for several years.“I loved our choir director, Marjorie Pettit. Choral singing was not something I had usually done but she just kind of opened up this whole new world and she was so enthusiastic. You could tell how much she loved working with the children.”Miss Allison said she really enjoyed the sense of being in a musical community and sings with several choirs to this day.“Music is the way that I express myself,” she said. “I love to learn about music, but I also love how you can add your own interpretation to it. I love that I can share my love for music with other people.”She said she has been inspired by cellist Yo-Yo Ma because of his versatility and determination to bring classical music to the masses.“He is a classically trained musician but does every kind of music there is,” she said. “One of his objectives is to make classical music accessible for people. He works hard at opening doors for people who are not necessary familiar with classical music. I would like to do that in some way.“I have also been inspired by my parents. A degree in music and a PhD in literature are not exactly the most lucrative things you can study, but they are always really supportive of my decisions and make sure I push through the difficult times.”