Concerts are Saturday, May 18. Come join us!
The Gala Cello Concert begins at 12 noon in Recital Hall.
The Gala Violin Concert takes place at 1 PM in Auer Hall.

A reminder that Summer II begins on June 22nd.

Professor Don Freund coached the Virtuosi on his Seven Pieces for Violin/Viola. They will be performed at Western Kentucky University on May 11, at Auer Hall on May 18 and at Sweeney Hall on June 23 for the opening concert of the Summer String Academy. Thank you to Professor Freund!

The Virtuosi played a beautiful concert for over 1,000 people at the ASTA Conference in Louisville this past March.

Alice performed a beautiful Kabalevsky Concerto with the Indianapolish Youth Orchestra on February 18th. Thank you to the support of conductor Adam Bodony.

We are very pleased to introduce you to our two new String Academy Faculty members – Maki Yamagata (violin/viola)  and Erica Ogihara (cello).

Maki Yamagata is currently studying with the world-renowned violist and composer, Atar Arad, and pursuing a doctorate degree in music performance at the Jacobs School of Music. She holds both bachelor’s and master’s degree in music performance from University of Victoria, Canada, under the tutelage of Joanna Hood of the Lafayette String Quartet. She was an active teacher in Canada before moving to US and is now studying pedagogy with Mimi Zweig.

Hailing from Miami Florida, Erica Ogihara is a passionate performer and teacher. Her repertoire ranges from works as recent as John Adams’ riveting Fellow Traveller to familiar classics such as Franz Joseph Haydn’s beloved Opus 64 String Quartets. Her recent performance highlights include giving the New York City premier of Lisa Heffter’s Carbon Fiber String Quartet with the Continuum Chamber Collective, a musical group focused on performing underrepresented compositions. Erica has put together numerous chamber projects which have led to her participation in masterclasses with artists such as composer Nico Muhly, pianist Ursula Oppens, and violinist Ida Kavafian. Heard as a soloist with orchestras including the Alhambra Symphony Orchestra and the Ars Flores Symphony Orchestra, Erica has also been a laureate at several competitions including the Walenstein Music Competition and the Artist Series of Sarasota Competition.

As an educator, Erica wishes to cultivate a love of music through her teaching and provide music education to as many people as possible. A Suzuki Association of the Americas registered instructor, she completed her teacher training in books 1-8 with Pam Devenport and books 9-10 with Tanya Carey. As a 2021 Fellow at ArtistYear, the premier AmeriCorps program dedicated for artists, Erica taught music and cello to District I Schools in Colorado’s Roaring Fork Valley through her service year. In addition, she taught cello lessons and group classes to young cellists at The School for Strings’ Start-Up Program and was a Morse Teaching Fellow and Gluck Community Engagement Fellow through The Juilliard School.

Erica began her studies on the cello at the age of 10 with Audrey Pilafian. She is pursuing her Doctorate in Cello Performance at Indiana University Jacobs School of Music under the tutelage of Brandon Vamos of the Pacifica Quartet. Erica completed her Master’s Degree from The Juilliard School and also holds a Bachelor of Music from Oberlin Conservatory. Her teachers include Darrett Adkins, Natasha Brofsky, Ross Harbaugh, and Judith Serkin.

Two of our students are in the Finals for the Mauer Competition which the competition just announced will take place Sunday morning from 10 to 12 on February 25. We are hoping for their successes and quick return to Bloomington for the Intermezzo Concerts.

February 25: Intermezzo Concerts for Violin at 2:30  and 4:00 in Sweeney Hall
February 25: Cello Intermezzo 1:00 in Sweeney Hall

Congratulations to Catelijne Hunt who received the first prize in the Bloomington Symphony Competition. Sinead Whelan was the 2nd place winner.

Congrats to Sinead Whelan for receiving an Honorable Mention in the Indiana Symphony (Muncie) Competition!

Miranda Isbitts placed first in the Senior Division of the Indianapolis Youth Orchestra Competition. Alice Zheng tied for first in the Junior Division. Bravo to both!