Featured April, 2022
The year was 1970. Just as the little group that was to become the VSA Orchestra held its first practice in the North Fork Valley, I held a violin for the first time—smelled the fresh varnish, while gently lifting it out of its three-quarter-sized cradle.
As a fifth grader, I never imagined being this excited about learning an instrument, as reading music was a struggle. But after hearing a live soloist in my grade school gymnasium, I was sure about my choice. My mother promptly signed me up for violin lessons. However, my first teacher, a towering handsome member of the Minnesota Orchestra, broke the sad news to my parents: I would never make the junior high orchestra. Woefully shy, I clammed up in lessons. But my mother knew better and promptly switched teachers.
My original inspiration—the soloist from the gymnasium, Cheryl Hanson—became my new teacher. With her help, I played in my first recital before entering junior high and became a soloist in the high school orchestra. Being a member of the National Music Honor Society and performing in the Greater Twin Cities Youth Symphony for four years earned me a four-year, full-tuition scholarship to major in music education at Mount Senario College, in Ladysmith, WI. After transferring to the University of Arkansas-Fayetteville, I focused on performing.
Enrolling my oldest daughter in violin lessons in 1995 inspired me to become a registered Suzuki violin teacher. My travels have led me to perform in various orchestras throughout the Midwest, Montana, and Colorado, before moving to Paonia in the fall of 2008 and joining the VSA. It's been a joy sharing my musical journey with this wonderful group of talented folks.
Thank you for letting me be a part of it!