“Chamber music is a magnificent blending of individual voices and teamwork, it marries the best aspects of solo and orchestral playing..”
– Lisa Humphrey
How did Bellingham become your home?
I actually lived in Bellingham as a young child. When we moved to Alaska, my parents kept their Bellingham house and rented it out. Many years later, my husband and I returned to renovate the house for them and we ended up buying the house ourselves.
Tell us about your journey to the viola as your instrument of choice?
I started in the Anchorage public school’s 5th grade strings program at age 10. I originally wanted to play the violin, but when a family friend gifted me a viola instead, I instantly fell in love. I used to sit in orchestra class and just pluck my C string loudly over and over again, just to make sure everyone knew I had this special low string.
Do you remember a time when you were young and something musical just grabbed you? There wasn’t any single event, more a hodgepodge of special music. Some of my earliest (and happiest) memories were of my dad singing and playing guitar for all of us kids clustered around him (there were 6 of us). The scene in Sound of Music when Maria and all the kids are sitting in bed singing and playing guitar….that was my childhood. My mom was also a singer and I loved listening for her voice when she sang in choir. I also remember being fascinated by the piano at my friend’s house and at a sleepover I spent most of the night plunking out my own melodies. My friend’s parents were convinced that I was already taking lessons and couldn’t believe I was making up my own music.
How did you decide to make a life in music? I remember at age 16, sitting in the audience listening to the Anchorage Symphony perform Beethoven 9th Symphony. I was watching two violists, both in their 80s, who were bopping around, smiling, and having so much fun playing. That’s when I knew I wanted to make a life in music. I also was a competitive figure skater, but I quit the next day and started to really practice viola hard. I auditioned for the Anchorage Symphony myself and was accepted as the youngest player in the orchestra.
Where did you complete your musical studies?
I graduated high school from Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan, I got my bachelors degree in viola performance from The Hartt School of Music at the University of Hartford and my masters of music in viola performance from Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music.
Are there any musicians or teachers in particular who have played important roles in forming your thoughts as a musician?
So many teachers made such a big impact on me. When I was 11, I was told by a big name local teacher that I would never do music professionally because I started too late. Boy did that light a fire in me to prove her wrong! In a more positive way, David Holland (at Interlochen) was more nurturing than I knew a teacher could be, and has inspired my teaching to this day with his connection and empathy skills. Steve Larson (at Hartt) was as meticulous as he was kind. I didn’t know one could spend an entire lesson looking at charts and graphics about bow angles until I met him.
I owe a lot of my accuracy and detailed bow skills to him. And Alan deVeritch (at Indiana) helped me to take all the details and knowledge in my head and turn them into music from the heart. Larry Dutton, the violist from the Emerson String Quartet, who made a point of giving me extra lessons when he was in town, even though I knew he was exhausted from traveling, the kindness of the entire Emerson String Quartet, who showed me that great artists can be approachable, and Mimi Zweig, who first sucked me into the teaching world, taught me the differences between violin and viola pedagogy, and sent me away with confidence and enthusiasm for teaching. My Suzuki teacher trainers Linda Fiore, Teri Einfeld, Betsy Stuen-Walker, and David Strom, who all helped me hone my teaching skills. Without my incredible teachers, I wouldn’t have gotten here!
What are some of the musical moments that have most inspired you? Performances you’ve watched or been involved in or both?
What first hooked me into music was orchestral playing. I didn’t discover chamber music until later. The first inspiring orchestral piece I ever played was the Russian Easter Overture by Rimsky-Korsakov (in Youth Symphony as a young teen). It was one of the first experiences I had of working together to create art. I worked so hard to learn that last page and the feeling of exhilaration while playing it (successfully) in the final concert will remain with me forever.
I had a similar experience playing Brahms’ Second Symphony in the Anchorage Symphony (as a slightly older teen) but this time surrounded by professionals and musicians who I really looked up to. One of the best chamber music moments I’ve had was attending the Emerson String Quartet’s multi-concert series of the complete Beethoven String Quartets. I think it was four or five concerts, each one 2 hours long. Simply sublime!
What are your (current) favorite classical pieces with and/or without the viola?
I’m currently obsessing over a couple of pieces for solo viola by living female composers:
Varsha (Rain) by Reena Esmail and Sonoran Storm by Nokuthula Ngwenyama.
An old favorite that is currently being listened to daily at my house is Elgar’s Cello Concerto.
What was a most unusual performance you were involved in?
In my early twenties, in a celebration honoring peaceful Russian-American relations, as a member of the American-Russian Young Artists Orchestra, I performed Tchaikovsky and Bernstein in the Pushkin Museum in Moscow, it was televised live to the Russian and American cosmonauts on the International Space Station, and a live feed of their reactions was projected back to us on a big screen. They were smiling while listening, giving us thumbs up and applauding. It was definitely the coolest thing I’ve ever done!
Tell us your thoughts on the art of chamber music? Chamber music is a magnificent blending of individual voices and teamwork, it marries the best aspects of solo and orchestral playing. I absolutely love being an inner voice because you can be both subtle and sneaky. I imagine the viola part to be the secret spice that makes a recipe out of this world. Some of my favorite moments are when my line, while sometimes not very exciting on its own, lifts and elevates the melodies in the other voices to manipulate and enhance what the audience feels, then in those moments where the viola sings out for a moment: it’s like a glimpse of the divine.
How do you spend your time outside music? Other interests?
In my “spare time” you can find me having adventures with my two kids, ages 9 and 12, and our Australian Shepherd, who keep me plenty busy with all their various activities.
I’m also a homeschool parent and in the warmer months I love hiking, mountain biking on Galbraith, and running. In the winter months, I love baking and thinking about ways to make my home more cozy. I’m a certified scuba diver and love being under the water, but only in tropical locations!
