Free fiddling’ fun

By Lyndsie Kiebert-Carey
Reader Staff

The community is invited to enjoy two free performances by participants in the Suzuki String Academy’s second annual Summer Strings Festival, including a performance on Friday, Aug. 5 from 1-2 p.m. at the Sandpoint High School Auditorium and another on Saturday, Aug. 6 from 9 a.m.-noon at the Sandpoint Farmers’ Market in Farmin Park.

The Summer Strings Festival serves as a summer-camp-style week of music workshops for local chele justudents. Ruth Klinginsmith, owner and director of the Sandpoint Suzuki String Academy, told the Reader that the inaugural camp, held in 2021, “was a great success.”

Participants in the inaugural Summer Strings Festival in 2021. Courtesy photo.

“The students learned so much, achieved more than they thought they could in a short amount of time and had fun in the process,” she said. “We have twice as many students participating this year.”

Those students will spend three days learning from guest instructors and putting that new knowledge to the test with the two free community performances featuring styles from orchestra to fiddling tunes. The 2022 instructors include cellist Michele Jeglum, hailing from Spokane and Alaska; fiddler Rebecca Musser of Payette, Idaho; as well as violinist Jason Moody and cellist John Marshall, both of the Spokane Symphony. 

Klinginsmith said that the visiting instructors bring a “new perspective” to students, as well as opportunities for masterclasses and adjudication.

“This is a great learning experience for students … giving them the opportunity to work with and play alongside professional musicians from Spokane and other areas,” she said.

Attending the two free and family friendly Summer Strings Festival performances at SHS and the Farmers’ Market is a chance for community members to show their support for area youths invested in their musical education. In addition, Klinginsmith said, “if anyone has kids interested in taking music lessons, this will be an inspiration for kids to see other kids performing great music.”

“We invite the community to come support the students who have been working so hard to pull off an incredible performance in just three days,” she said.

Suzuki String Academy is currently enrolling for fall semester classes. Children as young as 4 years old can begin learning an instrument through the academy. Those interested in pursuing violin, viola, cello, piano, guitar, ukulele or voice lessons should contact Suzuki String Academy by emailing info@suzukistringacademy.

Visit suzukistringacademy.com to learn more.