International Ensembles committee members Carol Waldvogel and Sandra Payton had a great time attending to the needs of the three groups chosen to perform at the International Ensembles Concert on Saturday night. Harpeth Suzuki Strings (Franklin, Tennessee), Concorde Strings (Guelph, Ontario, Canada) and Buffalo Suzuki Strings Friendship Touring Ensemble (Buffalo, New York) presented outstanding performances filled with lots of energy, enthusiasm and high levels of musicianship.

Harpeth Suzuki Strings performs in the International Ensembles Concert

Harpeth Suzuki Strings

Harpeth Suzuki Strings was founded by violin and viola instructor Dana Meyer, assisted by Frank Auer. Since its establishment in 2005 in Franklin, Tennessee, students of Harpeth Suzuki Strings have performed across Tennessee, have been Young Artist Achievement Award winners through the National Association of Music Teachers competitions, winners of the Nashville Symphony Thor Johnson Scholarship, Middle Tennessee Suzuki Association scholarship recipients, and first place State winners in the Tennessee Music Teachers’ Association program. Many have traveled across the United States to study at Suzuki Institutes and workshops.

Concorde Strings Performing Ensemble performs in the International Ensembles Concert

Concorde Strings Performing Ensemble

Concorde Strings is the senior touring group of the Suzuki String School of Guelph (SSSG) from Guelph, Ontario, Canada. Their coaches are director Paule Barsalou, David Evenchick, Amber Ghent and Anna Hughes. This group of 25 students performs in different combinations without a conductor: cello choir, violin ensemble and string orchestra. The SSSG has taken students to Newfoundland and Labrador, Quebec, Manitoba, Alberta, the United States, France and Poland. In the summer of 2011 Concorde Strings toured Poland, performing in four different cities and joining forces with the students of Skola Musica of Tychy, directed by Ela Wegrzin. Concorde Strings has won numerous scholarships at the Kiwanis Music Festival of Guelph and was the 3rd place winner in the Secondary School String Orchestra Category of the 2011 Ontario Music Festivals Association Provincial Finals.

Buffalo Suzuki Strings Friendship Touring Ensemble performs in the International Ensembles Concert

Buffalo Suzuki Strings Friendship Touring Ensemble

The Buffalo Suzuki Strings Friendship Touring Ensemble was formed in 1983. Mary Cay Neal, founder and director of Buffalo Suzuki Strings (now in its 43rd year of operation) is assisted by David Levine. The touring ensemble has performed in Holland, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, England, Scotland, Ireland, Italy, Hungary, the former Soviet Union, Chile, Peru, Australia, Hawaii, the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern US, Brazil, Spain, Argentina, the 14th Suzuki World Convention in Italy, and the Suzuki Association of the Americas Conferences in 1990 and 2002.

Many thanks are due to all of the awesome performers, their dedicated teachers and parents for all of the hard work and effort put into preparing and traveling for this performance. It was an extremely positive experience for all who were involved.

Do you have a group that may be interested in performing at the 16th Biennial Conference in 2014? If so, contact the SAA office for more information.