Gregory Flury, a senior at Elizabethtown Area High School, has interests that keep him busier than the average teen.

As an avid tennis player, history buff, artist, Flury seems to have been born with a musical gene.

"Greg is really one of a kind," said classmate and fellow musician Matthew Brown. "Most musicians take years and years to master the technique and expression required to play an instrument, and Greg picked up the cello in just a few years. He really has a unique, innate talent."

"Stuart, my older brother, used to play the piano, and he did that for 12," Flury said. "My mom used to play the flute. She was actually a music major going into college. My dad took violin lessons for three months."

Flury spends various hours practicing his favorite instrument — the cello. When he has time, he often practices eight hours a week, attending hourlong lessons with Hempfield instructor Steven Lavender. And while the cello is nearest and dearest to his heart, it has not been the only instrument Flury has been able to skillfully manipulate.

"I used to play the baritone in elementary and middle school, and I'm taking up the piano more now seeing that it's very helpful in regards to a musical career in college," Flury said. "But cello is definitely my favorite. I've played it around four and a half years. I always liked the bass register with the baritone and I just really like the sound of (the cello.) I just wanted to try it out, and it took my heart away with it."

Flury has certainly gained respect and awe from classmates and instructors alike. He has played in the Millersville University Orchestra and performs with the Allegretto Chamber Orchestra. He has also attended both county and district festivals.

"He is so much fun, really," said classmate T.C. Drexel. "You can't box in his musical talents. It isn't just cello, it's baritone, piano and composition too. He has the mind for it. It's really amazing."

While most people think that the effort placed into controlling a musical instrument requires little more than attention and correct finger placement, there is certainly more to it than meets the eye. The theories and concepts of music and music making often are complex, but that complexity is what has managed to hook Flury's interest.

"I was always interested in how people could manipulate sound to tell a story or control your emotions. Whether you realize it or not, (the musicians) are controlling your emotions and leading you one way or another," Flury said. "Only recently did I become more interested in the practical theory and compositional part of it, the technique and the voice placement. That has kind of sparked more of an interest because now I understand how they're using their voices and it's unraveling the genius of these people more and more."

Flury said his favorite pieces are not from the Baroque period, as most would expect, but the Romantic period.

"The Romantic movement is my favorite era of music, but more specifically the late Romantic," Flury explained. "Some of my favorite pieces to play are the Bach cello suites, which are on the opposite end of the spectrum. It's more emotionally difficult than technically difficult."

Flury plans on attending Gettysburg College, and majoring in music and chemistry.

"When he plays, he loses himself in the music. I literally think he goes into another world, another realm built solely upon the melodies and rhythms set before him," Brown said. "The few opportunities I've had to play with him in string quartets and chamber groups were quite impressive. It's always a wonderful experience getting to work with someone who has profound passion and understanding for music."