Suzuki Strings Cedar City, Utah Blog 2012-2019

Thanks to everyone involved with the April 13 concert with the guest musicians from Salt Lake City. Special thanks to Jack Ashton for his dedicated service to music throughout the state and inspiring leadership.  Videos links to performances: Spring by Vivaldi, 1st movement, with combined orchestras Attack on the Windmills by Don Quixote by Telemann Minuet 3 with minor section Corrente by J. S. Bach Solitude on the Mountain performed by Young Artist Chamber Players Concerto for Two Celli, Allegro, by Vivaldi Suzuki Strings students, teachers, and pianists at April 13 concert Jack Ashton with our Suzuki Strings Cedar City teachers Young Artist Chamber Players at the concert directed by Jack Ashton Recognizing soloists for Vivaldi Spring Concerto Violins rehearsing Violists rehearsing Rehearsal for Spring Concerto by Vivaldi Lindsay Szczesny introducing the concert Amy Gold leading the group pieces in rehearsal ...

Suzuki Strings Presents Spring Concert May 2 By Lindsay Szczesny The Suzuki Strings will present their 36th annual spring concert on Thursday, May 2 in the Thorley Recital Hall (SUU Music Building) at 7:00 pm. A $5 donation is appreciated. About three decades ago, Sara Penny moved back to her hometown of Cedar City with her young family. She had a degree in journalism, but soon found her passion for teaching music. While teaching violin to college students at SUSC, she realized that many of their technical difficulties could have been addressed when they were beginners. The popular Suzuki method outlined an approach for helping children learn to play instruments beautifully from a young age, and Mrs. Penny sought training in the method and began teaching local children to play the violin. Penny collaborated with another violin teacher, Shannon Pointer, who had actually studied with Dr. Suzuki in Japan, and they started teaching a group class for young violinists. Ove...

Virtuoso Violinists to Perform Concert Thursday By Marin Colby and Lindsay Szczesny Rocky Mountain Strings, a group of 37 outstanding young violinists from northern Utah, along with the Suzuki Strings of Cedar City, will be performing in Cedar City, Thursday, April 25 at 7 p.m. in SUU's Thorley Recital Hall. Ramona Stirling, Chandelle Fairbanks, and Ruth Godfrey direct the Rocky Mountain Strings with Shelley Astle as accompanist and Michael Thomas McLean as their in-house composer/arranger. They have toured Poland, Italy, Argentina, Belgium, Russia, and Austria since their founding in 1997. The group also performed at the Suzuki Association of the Americas International Teacher Convention in 1998 and 2006. Rocky Mountain Strings will be performing classical favorites like Salut D’Amour and crowd pleasers like Millionaire’s Hoedown and a medley from The Greatest Showman . Cedar City's Red Rock Singers, directed by Steve Meredith, will also be featured with the v...

Salt Lake’s Young Artist Chamber Players to perform in Cedar City Saturday, April 13, 4 p.m. at St. Jude's By Lindsay Fife Szczesny On Saturday, April 13 at 4:00 pm at the St. Jude’s Episcopal Church (70 N. 200 W.) the public is invited to a free concert featuring an elite chamber ensemble from Salt Lake City. When I was a teenager here in Cedar City, I started traveling to Salt Lake every month to take violin lessons from Utah Symphony violinist, Jack Ashton. My friend and I ( Megan Mumford Cottam from Kanarraville) each had hour-long lessons--usually on a Saturday morning--in his home’s downstairs music studio, piled with papers and one wall covered with student recital programs dating back years and years. Sometimes one of his 8 children would interrupt a lesson, and for a few minutes he would lovingly play with the youngest boy who was about four. Mr. Ashton made us rehearse thousands of scales and gave us exciting new music to play. He was warm and kind, but strict ...