The String Academy of Wisconsin

Bertrand Stone Featured in Milwaukee Chinese Times

Jamie — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 15:13:55 +0000

Bertrand Stone, a String Academy student, was featured in the April edition of the Milwaukee Chinese Times for his arrangement of Horse Race which was premiered on the 2010 Spring Concerts. Horse Race (赛马) is traditionally performed on the Chinese erhu, a two-stringed instrument held on the lap and played up-right with a bow. Bertrand has been playing the erhu for four years. Both the arrangement and it’s performance were a great success, and we congratulate Bertrand for this exciting project.

Click to enlarge.

http://www.milwaukeechinesetimes.com/

20th Anniversary Gala

Jamie — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 19:23:32 +0000

The String Academy of Wisconsin Celebrates 20 Years

The String Academy of Wisconsin will celebrate its 20th Anniversary with a Gala concert on Monday, May 24 at 7:00 PM in the Helen Bader Concert Hall in the Helene Zelazo Center for the Performing Arts at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

This special evening will include performances by String Academy students and alumni, ending with the entire Academy performing together. Featured alumni soloists will include Erin Aldridge, Adam Ayers, Alex Ayers, Shannon Farrell-Williams and Jamie Hofman, as well as reunion appearances with I Cellisti and Violin Virtuosi ensembles. Works by Kreisler, Wieniawski, Bridge, Handel-Halvorsen, Villa Lobos, Bach and Suzuki will be performed.

Mimi Zweig, SAW Founder, and original board members Julilly Kohler and Don Wallace will be honored with the presentation of the Academy’s 2010 Arts Leadership Award. A reception following the concert will allow audience members to greet the performers and honorees while enjoying light refreshments.

Tickets, at a cost of $25 per person ($20 senior, $12.50 with student ID), may be obtained by calling the Helene Zelazo Center box office at 414-229-4308.

SAW Alumnus Erin Aldridge to Present Recital

Jamie — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 08:07:30 +0000

The String Academy is excited to welcome back one of our most distinguished alumni, Dr. Erin Aldridge, to Milwaukee as she presents a guest recital on Friday, March 19th. Dr. Aldridge graduated from the String Academy in 1993 and went on to receive her doctorate degree. She is currently Professor of Violin at UW-Superior. She will be joined by pianist Chih-Yi Chen. Together they will be performing Mozart’s Sonata No. 1 in G Major, K. 301, Four Pieces for Violin and Piano, Op. 7 by Anton Webern, the Ravel Violin Sonata, and will finish with Brahm’s heroic Sonata No. 3 in d minor, Op. 108.

When: Friday, March 19, 2010, 7:30 P.M.
Where: Peck School of the Arts Recital Hall
Admission: Free and open to the public

Artist Profiles
Erin Alderidge Erin Aldridge has won numerous awards as both soloist and chamber musician and has been featured throughout Europe, South America, and the United States. She was a featured soloist at the John Downey Festival in London, performing the world premiere of his Irish Violin Sonata. In Solonsa, Spain she was a guest soloist and chamber musician at the AIMS festival. She has also performed numerous concerts throughout Uruguay as well as throughout the United States with the Dorothea Trio. She is a well sought after performer and pedagogue, and has been published in Strings Magazine. Dr. Aldridge attended Indiana University where she received her Bachelor’s degree in Violin Performance. She received her Master’s degree and Performer’s Certificate in Chamber Music Performance from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and was a member of the Leonard Sorkin Institute of Chamber Music under the direction of the Fine Arts Quartet. She continued her studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison where she received her Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Violin Performance. Her primary teachers include Mimi Zweig, Josef Gingold, Nellie Shkolnikova, Rostaslav Dubinsky, Efim Boico, and Vartan Manoogian. In 2003, Dr. Aldridge joined the music faculty at the University of Wisconsin-Superior. She serves as Associate Professor of Violin, Director of Orchestras, and is a member of the faculty piano trio Trillium.	Chih-Yi Chen, piano Pianist Chih-Yi Chen’s versatile qualities as a soloist, chamber musician, and collaborative player have distinguished her a rarity amongst all pianists. Her solo activities include concerts with the Taipei Symphony Orchestra with conductor Irwin Hoffman, and her latest appearances with the IU Wind Ensemble of a new piano concerto written by Stephen Paulus was praised “a fantastic performance” by the composer. Her works with a group of especially talented young violinists “the Indiana University Violin Virtuosi” directed by Mimi Zweig have given her recognitions as a specialist in violin repertoire and an increasingly sought-after ensemble player. Her concert appearances with the Violin Virtuosi have taken her throughout the United States, Europe and Asia, and her recent tours to France, Spain, Sweden, Italy, and Japan have been extremely successful and have made significant impact on young pianists around the globe. Ms. Chen had been a faculty member at the IU Piano Department teaching piano accompanying and coaching collaborative pianists. She had also been the official pianist of the Indiana University Violin Virtuosi since 1998 and a faculty member of the IU Pre-College String Program since 2000. Recently she has appeared with violinist Joshua Bell in the Emmy Award nominated documentary “Circling Around”.

Artist Profiles

Erin Alderidge

Erin Aldridge has won numerous awards as both soloist and chamber musician and has been featured throughout Europe, South America, and the United States. She was a featured soloist at the John Downey Festival in London, performing the world premiere of his Irish Violin Sonata. In Solonsa, Spain she was a guest soloist and chamber musician at the AIMS festival. She has also performed numerous concerts throughout Uruguay as well as throughout the United States with the Dorothea Trio. She is a well sought after performer and pedagogue, and has been published in Strings Magazine.

Dr. Aldridge attended Indiana University where she received her Bachelor’s degree in Violin Performance. She received her Master’s degree and Performer’s Certificate in Chamber Music Performance from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and was a member of the Leonard Sorkin Institute of Chamber Music under the direction of the Fine Arts Quartet. She continued her studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison where she received her Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Violin Performance. Her primary teachers include Mimi Zweig, Josef Gingold, Nellie Shkolnikova, Rostaslav Dubinsky, Efim Boico, and Vartan Manoogian.

In 2003, Dr. Aldridge joined the music faculty at the University of Wisconsin-Superior. She serves as Associate Professor of Violin, Director of Orchestras, and is a member of the faculty piano trio Trillium.

Chih-Yi Chen, piano

Pianist Chih-Yi Chen’s versatile qualities as a soloist, chamber musician, and collaborative player have distinguished her a rarity amongst all pianists. Her solo activities include concerts with the Taipei Symphony Orchestra with conductor Irwin Hoffman, and her latest appearances with the IU Wind Ensemble of a new piano concerto written by Stephen Paulus was praised “a fantastic performance” by the composer. Her works with a group of especially talented young violinists “the Indiana University Violin Virtuosi” directed by Mimi Zweig have given her recognitions as a specialist in violin repertoire and an increasingly sought-after ensemble player. Her concert appearances with the Violin Virtuosi have taken her throughout the United States, Europe and Asia, and her recent tours to France, Spain, Sweden, Italy, and Japan have been extremely successful and have made significant impact on young pianists around the globe.

Ms. Chen had been a faculty member at the IU Piano Department teaching piano accompanying and coaching collaborative pianists. She had also been the official pianist of the Indiana University Violin Virtuosi since 1998 and a faculty member of the IU Pre-College String Program since 2000. Recently she has appeared with violinist Joshua Bell in the Emmy Award nominated documentary “Circling Around”.

Pianist Chih-Yi Chen’s versatile qualities as a soloist, chamber musician, and collaborative player have distinguished her a rarity amongst all pianists. Her solo activities include concerts with the Taipei Symphony Orchestra with conductor Irwin Hoffman, and her latest appearances with the IU Wind Ensemble of a new piano concerto written by Stephen Paulus was praised “a fantastic performance” by the composer. Her works with a group of especially talented young violinists “the Indiana University Violin Virtuosi” directed by Mimi Zweig have given her recognitions as a specialist in violin repertoire and an increasingly sought-after ensemble player. Her concert appearances with the Violin Virtuosi have taken her throughout the United States, Europe and Asia, and her recent tours to France, Spain, Sweden, Italy, and Japan have been extremely successful and have made significant impact on young pianists around the globe. Ms. Chen has also appeared in numerous masterclasses with artists such as violinist Jaime Laredo and cellist Janos Starker, and has collaborated with countless musicians such as violinists and prize winners Barnabas Kelemen and Soovin Kim, violists Yuval Gotlibovich and Atar Arad, and cellist and pedagogue Csaba Onczay. She is a regular guest at the Indiana University Summer Festival and her upcoming concerts include a recital with Hungarian violinist Vilmos Szabadi. Ms. Chen has recently developed a series of accompanying courses at Indiana University for the undergraduate pianists and has been particularly successful in training potential accompanists.

Born in Taipei, Taiwan, Ms. Chen began to show a remarkable gift as a pianist at an early age of 3. After finishing high school education with honors, Ms. Chen came to the United States and continued her musical studies at Indiana University, where she completed her bachelor and master degrees. She had worked with Lev Vlasenko, former chairman of the piano department at Moscow Conservatory, Michel Block, and the pianist of the former Borodin Trio Luba Edlina-Dubinsky.

MSO Masterclass Series: Vadim Repin

Jamie — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 14:46:24 +0000

Vadim Repin, violin

We are very excited to announce the addition of another guest masterclass at the String Academy with world-famous violinist Vadim Repin, to be held on March 6, 2010, at the UWM Peck School of the Arts Recital Hall from 10:30-12:00. This is the second class in a series of classes sponsored by the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra in collaboration with the String Academy of Wisconsin and the Peck School of the Arts.

Vadim Repin will be in town to perform the sublime Beethoven Violin Concerto with the Milwaukee Symphony on March 5th, 6th, and 7th. (Tickets may be purchased here) Described by violin patriarch Yehudi Menuhin to be “simply the best, most perfect violinist I have ever heard,” Mr. Repin has taken his place as one of the greatest violinists of all time. You can learn more about this living legend at his website, or go to YouTube to see an incredible display of virtuosity during a performance of Paganini’s “Carneval di Venezia”.

What: Vadim Repin Masterclass
When: Saturday March 6, 2010, 10:30-12:00
Where: Peck School of the Arts Recital Hall
MSO Concert Dates: March 5^th, 6^th, and 7^th

The master class is free and open to the public.

UPDATE:

Here is a photo after the class of Mr. Repin and the students who performed:

Tarryk Kalishek, Mr. Repin, Seth Leinbach, Rebekkah Ruetz

SAW Students to Perform with Orchestra

Jamie — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 20:05:17 +0000

The Kettle Moraine Symphony

This Sunday, February 28, at 3:30 p.m. at the Schauer Arts and Activities Center (147 N. Rural St., Hartford, WI), the winners of Washington County’s 2010 Concerto Competition for Young Artists will perform in concert with the Kettle Moraine Symphony. Featured soloists will be Tarryck Kalishek and Rebekah Ruetz, violin students of Darcy Drexler. Tarryck will perform the 3rd mvt. of Concerto in C Major by D. Kabalevsky and Rebekah will perform the 1st mvt. (“Spring”) from the Four Seasons by A. Vivaldi. Please come out to the concert and support these outstanding SAW students!

UPDATE: Bravo to Rebekah and Tarryck! You played beautifully. Here are some photos from the concert:

2010 Violin and Cello Competition Winners

Jamie — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 14:06:55 +0000

On Saturday, February 6, 2010, the String Academy of Wisconsin held its annual Violin Competition and Cello Competition. Congratulations to all contestants on their performances, and especially to the winners:

CLAIRE COHEN, violin
(Air Varie No. 5 – C Dancla)

TARRYCK KALISHEK, violin
(“Spring” from the Four Seasons – A. Vivaldi)

KATIE WASIELEWSKI, cello
(Allegro Appassionato – Saint-Saens)

A special thanks to Anne de Vroome Kamerling and Trischa Loebl for judging the competitions, and to pianists Steve Ayers and Andrea Velic for accompanying.

The winner from each level will be performing with the SAW Chamber Orchestra. The SAW Spring group concerts are at 10:00 am & 12 Noon on Saturday, March 27, 2010 at the UWM Peck School of the Arts Recital Hall.

MSO Guest Masterclass: Joe Johnson

Jamie — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 18:21:47 +0000

This Saturday, February 13, MSO Principal cellist Joe Johnson will present a master class for SAW students. Participants will include Joanna Boyland, Allen Kang, Samuel Lee, and Kartik Papatla, accompanied by pianist Andrea Velic. The class, which is free and open to the public, will take place in the UWM Peck School of the Arts Recital Hall from 10:30 a.m. to 12 Noon.

For anyone arriving after 10:30, please enter quietly through the rear entrance to the Recital Hall (from the lobby) during applause only. Please do not enter from the inside hallway across from Room 180 once the class has started. Thank you for your cooperation.

Joseph Johnson, cello
Joseph Johnson, cello In 2002, Johnson was invited to the 12th International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow where he advanced to the semifinal round. In addition, he won first prize at the American String Teachers Association (ASTA) National Solo Competition. Johnson, a native of Chicago, received a bachelor’s degree from the Eastman School of Music, where he was a student of Steven Doane. He went on to earn a master’s degree from Northwestern University. Joseph Johnson became the Principal Cellist of the Milwaukee Symphony in September 2007 following an 11-year tenure with the Minnesota Orchestra. He has performed worldwide as soloist and chamber musician. He has soloed with the Minnesota Orchestra, the Oakland East Bay Symphony, Northwest Florida Philharmonic, the Fargo-Moorhead Symphony, and Minnesota Philharmonic. Johnson is principal cellist at the Grand Teton Music Festival, and has also performed at the Caramoor Chamber Music Festival, Bach Dancing and Dynamite, International Musicians’ Seminar at Prussia Cove, and the Pacific Music Festival in Sapporo, Japan.

Joseph Johnson, cello

Joseph Johnson, cello

In 2002, Johnson was invited to the 12th International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow where he advanced to the semifinal round. In addition, he won first prize at the American String Teachers Association (ASTA) National Solo Competition.

Johnson, a native of Chicago, received a bachelor’s degree from the Eastman School of Music, where he was a student of Steven Doane. He went on to earn a master’s degree from Northwestern University.

Joseph Johnson became the Principal Cellist of the Milwaukee Symphony in September 2007 following an 11-year tenure with the Minnesota Orchestra. He has performed worldwide as soloist and chamber musician. He has soloed with the Minnesota Orchestra, the Oakland East Bay Symphony, Northwest Florida Philharmonic, the Fargo-Moorhead Symphony, and Minnesota Philharmonic. Johnson is principal cellist at the Grand Teton Music Festival, and has also performed at the Caramoor Chamber Music Festival, Bach Dancing and Dynamite, International Musicians’ Seminar at Prussia Cove, and the Pacific Music Festival in Sapporo, Japan.

This Saturday, February 13, MSO Principal cellist Joe Johnson will present a master class for SAW students. Participants will include Joanna Boyland, Allen Kang, Samuel Lee, and Kartik Papatla, accompanied by pianist Andrea Velic. The class, which is free and open to the public, will take place in the UWM Peck School of the Arts Recital Hall from 10:30 a.m. to 12 Noon.

The SAW Spangled Banner Project

Jamie — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 14:51:59 +0000

On Saturday, January 30, almost 60 String Academy students participated in a recording of a special arrangement of the Star Spangled Banner, affectionately referred to as the “SAW” Spangled Banner. The level of excitement and discipline was was overwhelming, and the results speak for themselves. Congratulations to all who were involved! Keep your fingers crossed and stay tuned for further developments.

Continue reading for Audio recording and photo gallery…

SAW Spangled Banner Audio Recording

[View with PicLens]

Click here for a bonus video

Feb. 7 Concert: Violin Virtuosi and Northwestern University Strings

Jamie — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 14:44:44 +0000

On Sunday, February 7 the SAW Violin Virtuosi and the Northwestern Strings from the pre-college program at Northwestern University in Evanston, IL will present a joint concert in the UWM Peck School of the Arts Recital Hall at 2:00 p.m. This performance is free and open to the public. It will feature both ensemble pieces and solos and will last approximately one hour. This is the latest in a series of annual collaborations involving the Violin Virtuosi and groups from other pre-college programs around the country.

When: February 7th, 2010, at 2:00
Where: UWM Peck School of the Arts Recital Hall

Welcome!

Jamie — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 16:38:39 +0000

Hello, and welcome to our newly updated website! Whether you are a parent, a student, teacher, alumni, donor, prospective student, or just curious, there is plenty to find here. So please look around and explore.

Founded in 1990, the String Academy of Wisconsin (SAW) has already become one of this country’s model schools, offering students between the ages of 4 and 18 a comprehensive musical education with a focus on the violin, viola or cello. Highly qualified artist faculty provide musical instruction based on the methods and philosophies of Mimi Zweig, Shinichi Suzuki, and Paul Rolland. The special training, experience, and expertise of the SAW faculty in the musical training of young people results in students playing with technical ease and musical sensitivity. SAW’s summer teacher training workshops are attended by string players from across the United States, Canada and Europe.