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My student Duke, whom I’ve taught since he was in kindergarten, performed for the South Lakes High School Senior Recital this week. It was a fabulous performance and I’m so proud of him!
The Beanstalk Library performed at Gypsy Sally’s this weekend for the Ben Tufts & Friends Tribute to 1969. We covered 5 songs from Neil Young’s album “Everybody Knows this is Nowhere.”
Enjoy a small selection of some of the student performances from my January and February recitals!
Winter Recital 2019 Highlights
Students are breathing a sigh of relief and satisfaction now that everyone has performed in my Winter Recitals. Some of the beautiful works performed included Lalo’s Symphonie Espagnol, Mozart’s Concerto No. 3, Bruch’s Romanze for Viola, Faure’s Apres un Reve, and many many more lovely pieces.
My Winter Recitals are this weekend, January 12-13 and all the students are putting the final touches on their performance pieces. Here’s a sneak preview of one soloist who will be performing the first movement of Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 3!
I had a wonderful time preparing and performing the first movement of Mendelssohn’s Piano Trio in d minor for a benefit concert at St. Veronica’s in Chantilly, Virginia. Donations from the concert benefited Fairfax County Volunteer Firefighters. Here’s the trio in rehearsal. What an amazing piece of music and such a pleasure to perform!
This year my student Duke prepared and presented a Solo Junior Recital. The repertoire included a movement of unaccompanied Bach, Introduction & Rondo Capriccioso by Saint-Saens, and a piece called "Revolving Factory" which Duke transcribed himself for string quintet. The performance included brief lectures prior to each piece that provided background information on the works. He worked hard to prepare for this and did an excellent job!
Here's a photo of one-half of the students from my Spring Recitals! This year I split the students into two separate shorter recitals. It made for a more intimate performing and listening experience for both groups and I think everyone enjoyed themselves. This picture is of the 3:30 performers. I'm having some technical difficulties locating a picture of the 1:30 group!
My band, The Beanstalk Library had an amazing opportunity to play on the Millennium Stage at the Kennedy Center. The KC offers free daily performances on the Millennium Stage at 6 pm, 365 days a year. We had a great crowd and really enjoyed the show. A few of my students and their families even came out to see us!
It's been such a busy spring I've barely had time to update! I've been working on unveiling my new logo and website and spending countless hours preparing students for all kinds of auditions and performances. Yesterday I headed out to South Lakes High School to help my student Duke prepare for his Junior Recital, happening next Saturday. He transcribed (by ear!) a piece and arranged it for string quintet. Here they are after a productive rehearsal. Unfortunately I only captured 3 of them with their eyes open...
On January 21, I hosted my 7th Annual Winter Recital. It was my largest recital ever, with 35 students performing. I had a packed audience of around 130 people. It was great fun, and all the students came away from the recital with a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction! Some of my more advanced students performed movements from Vivaldi's The Four Seasons. For the accompaniment of these movements, I had them play the chamber orchestra parts in a string quartet arrangement so they each had a chance to accompany and be accompanied.
As always, it's been a busy fall season in the Studio! I've been playing lots of fun wedding gigs with the Cherry Blossom String Quartet, and have taught many violin, viola, and cello lessons! Recently several of my students auditioned and were accepted into their District Honors Orchestras in Fairfax County. They all worked hard to prepare for their auditions and I am proud of them! Now we're busy getting ready for my upcoming Winter Recital on January 21. Here are a few images from this season. The Quartet has continued with our Columbia Diminuendo performance series, through the sun, clouds, and wind!
I had an absolutely amazing time last week attending the Chamber Music Conference at Bennington College in Vermont. It was sort of a music camp for adults. Each participant is placed into 3-4 small chamber ensembles, and you have rehearsals, coaching sessions, and for some folks, performances over the course of the week. There are also lots of informal sight-reading get togethers with various types of ensembles. It was a blast!
One of my students graciously helped me to compile a video of some of my lovely students' performances, ranging from beginners to more advanced. https://youtu.be/lyHwgPmM_AM
A couple of weeks ago, I proudly presented 25 of my students for the Spring Recital. They did a wonderful job with some challenging pieces including the Hoffmeister Viola Concerto, Praeludium and Allegro by Fritz Kreisler, the Bach Double Violin Concerto, and some fun tunes like the Star Wars Main Theme and "Spring" from Vivaldi's Four Seasons. It is such a joy to work with these kids and help them prepare for a fun and exciting performance. 
My quartet has a nice mention as the "anonymous string quartet" in the aforementioned Holladay Brothers latest project! Check it out!
For my younger (still-growing) students, I typically recommend that parents rent the fractional size instruments, as most music shops offer an option to trade in the instrument for a larger one as the child grows. Alexandria Music Company offers a great rental program. (Full disclosure: I teach there.) Once a student is ready for a full-size violin, the best option is to purchase a nice-sounding fiddle rather than rent. In the DC area, we are fortunate to have several wonderful shops with great sounding instruments at reasonable prices. Brobst Violin Shop, Foxes Music, Lashof Violins, and Potter Violin Company, and Day Violins all offer an excellent selection. Trying and buying a violin, viola or cello is something that must be done in person and not over the internet. The player needs to experience the sound and feel of each instrument, because they all feel different! Visit one of these locally owned shops if you are in the market for a rental or purchase!
Greetings! If you are interested in starting lessons for yourself or your son/daughter, please drop me a line. I am happy to say that my studio schedule is full at the moment, but sometimes things change and spots open up, particularly at the beginning of summer. I would be happy to put you on my waiting list and contact you if something becomes available.
Alexandria, VA
