Chamber Music Festival's 'In Music' Residency Wows Islanders

Monique Mead with the Early Morning K-4 string players salute the power of music. Photo courtesy of Richard Steinhardt.

Contributed by Victoria Parker, Executive Director, Orcas Island Chamber Music Festival

Violinist Monique Mead’s presence was a burst of spring energy on Orcas Island during the week of March 22-26. The Orcas Island Chamber Music Festival (OICMF) Spring 2010 IM: In Music Musician-in-Residence for Orcas Public School, island strings and music students and community musicians drew enthusiastic response from the music community and island families.

Now in its 4^th year of IM: In Music, the Chamber Music Festival hosted Monique Mead, returning as the season’s visiting artist. Ms. Mead worked with the music students of Pamela Wright of the elementary school music program and Lizz Hanks, high school and middle school music teacher, as well as students receiving private instruction. Master Classes for both students and adults inspired a wide range of skill levels and ages to participation in the one-on-one critique with Mead. To a person the mutual appreciation was palpable.

Pictured are Pamela Wright’s Early Morning Strings students raising their bows with Monique. These students gather on Tuesday and Thursday at 7:30AM. The Hight School Orchestra meets five days a week at 7:15 AM! Throughout this academic year both Wright and Hanks are making good use of OICMF’s Technique Coach, Matthew Olson.  Mead serves as the Teaching Artist Guide for Olson who began to join the teachers and students in their classrooms in November. Before leaving the island on Friday she will visit Children’s House, Kaleidoscope, Montessori and Salmonberry preschools for a musical conversation about spring. Vivaldi’s Four Seasons is the topic!

Ms. Mead received Bachelors and Masters degrees in violin performance from Indiana University in Bloomington. In 1990 she was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to study in Lubeck, Germany. Several collaborations with Leonard Bernstein at music festivals in Tanglewood and Schleswig-Holstein influenced her decision to focus her career on nurturing audiences and musicians. From 1992-1995 Monique held positions as Associate Instructor for Violin at Indiana University and Director of the Indianapolis Academy of Music. Monique is also a frequent artist guest of the Orcas Island Chamber Music Festival summer concert series.

IM: In Music is funded through OICMF’s generous 2009-2010 sponsorships by Mimi and Slim Sommerville (spring) and Valerie and William Anders (Technique Coach funding). For additional information Victoria 360.376.6636.